Kingdom Must Settle “Debt of Honor” with Grieving Families as American Armed Forces Fight Saudi Arch-Enemy Iran
National Legal Policy Center (NLPC), a non-profit watchdog organization dedicated to promoting ethics in public life, today launched a campaign to secure justice and restitution for the survivors and families of those slain in the December 6, 2019, terrorist attack at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola.
The attack was carried out by Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a Saudi aviator who was participating in a joint U.S.-Saudi training program. He opened fire in a classroom, killing three brave sailors—Ensign Joshua K. Watson, Airman Mohammed Sameh Haitham, and Airman Apprentice Cameron S. Walters—and wounding eight others. The FBI determined that the shooter had links to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
The campaign, themed “A Debt of Honor in Pensacola,” aims to encourage an out-of-court settlement between the Pensacola victims and Saudi Arabia, ending a six-year legal battle. According to NLPC Chairman Peter Flaherty, “It’s unfair to put the families through more litigation or impose further delays on them. They have suffered enough.”
A settlement takes on increased urgency as American forces bear the burden of defending the region and Saudi Arabia against aggression from Iran, a Shiite nation that has vowed to wrest control of the holy mosques in Mecca and Medina from the Saudis, who are Sunni Muslims. As NLPC Chairman Peter Flaherty put it bluntly: “The United States is making the ultimate sacrifice for the Saudis by checking Iranian power and ruthless ambition. Isn’t it long past the time for the Kingdom to reciprocate by settling with Pensacola victims and their families?”
The survivors and families correctly point out that Saudi Arabia sent the shooter to train on American soil despite what investigators later discovered were his active ties to Al-Qaeda.
A Moral Inflection Point in the U.S.-Saudi Alliance
Saudi Arabia initially prevailed on its sovereign immunity defenses but in November 2025 the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated some survivor claims by ruling that the Kingdom’s alleged failure to vet the radicalized officer could constitute gross negligence.
Flaherty asserted, “Saudi Aramco, the Kingdom’s state-owned oil company, takes in $1.3 billion per day and operates under the protection of the American security blanket. Yet the Kingdom won’t tap its vast fortune to address the legitimate needs of the victims?”
The Campaign Objectives
NLPC plans to make sure these families no longer must fight alone by emphasizing these key points:
- Fulfilling a Presidential Promise: At the time of the shooting, President Trump noted that King Salman and the Saudi people were “greatly angered” by the barbaric actions of the shooter and promised that the King would be involved in “taking care of the families and loved ones.”
- Ending the Legal Standoff with a Gesture of Compassion: The campaign urges Saudi Arabia to make a public gesture of compassion by replacing the current legal war of attrition against the survivors with a settlement that makes the survivors and families whole.
- Securing Acknowledgement: Seeking a formal recognition from those responsible for the catastrophic security failure that allowed a gunman with active Al-Qaeda ties to infiltrate American military infrastructure.
About the Campaign
Our organization has undertaken this campaign to ensure these families receive the justice they deserve. We believe that sustained public attention to this tragedy is an important way to achieve a resolution that honors the survivors and the lives of those lost and also underscores the improved relations between the two nations.
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To learn more, visit HERE for the full story, legal updates, victim tributes, and ways to support NLPC’s campaign
