WASHINGTON — A "saddened" and "outraged" President Barack condemned a gunman's attack Wednesday on a US Air Force bus at Frankfurt airport that left two US airmen dead and injured two others.
Obama, in a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, said that the US government would "spare no effort" to determine the circumstances of the attack.
"I am saddened and outraged by this attack," he added, expressing sorrow for the lives lost and hoping for a "speedy recovery" for the injured.
"We will spare no effort in learning how this outrageous act took place."
The airmen were part of a Security Forces team traveling in a bus from Frankfurt International Airport to Ramstein Air Base, headquarters of US Air Forces Europe.
They were on their way to support "Overseas Contingency Operations" -- most likely the war in Afghanistan -- USAFE said in a statement.
The names of those killed were being withheld until their relatives were notified.
"We mourn the loss of our brave service members who were so cruelly gunned down," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in a statement denouncing the "cowardly attack."
Obama said the United States will work with German authorities to "ensure that all the perpetrators are brought to justice," describing the strike against US service members abroad as a "stark reminder" of the sacrifices they made.
German authorities said the assailant, seized and arrested in the terminal building reportedly still with large amounts of ammunition and his handgun, was 21 and originally from Muslim-majority Kosovo in southeastern Europe.
German Ambassador to the United States Klaus Scharioth said he was "shocked and deeply saddened" to learn about the incident and said he had expressed "heartfelt sympathy" to leading US officials.
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