Deadly Fort Hood shooting spree
Questions arise about Army Maj.'s possible radical beliefs
Chelsea Bower, Fact Checker
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: National
Thirteen people are dead and 42 injured after a shooting erupted at Fort Hood, a U.S. Army Base in Texas, on Thursday, Nov. 5.
Details remain unclear as of Friday Nov. 13 as to who actually stopped the shooter. Two civilian police officers, Kimberly Munley and Senior Sgt. Officer Mark Todd have been identified as being involved in ending the shooting spree, according to an article on nytimes.com.
The suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was placed in an intensive care unit following the shooting. On Tuesday Nov. 10, an estimated 15,000 people attended the memorial service held for the victims.
President Barack Obama also attended the memorial service at Fort Hood. Obama laid a presidential coin with each of the 13 battlefield crosses - a rifle, helmet and boots that represent each fallen soldier, according to an article on cnn.com.
Hasan has been described as "very outspoken of the war" by a former classmate, according to an article on cnn.com.
In June 2007, Hasan gave a presentation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that was meant to be a culminating exercise for his residency. Instead, Hasan delivered a presentation on Islam and what he said he believes are the adverse effects that may occur as a result of the War on Terror, according to washingtonpost.com.
The final slide, entitled "Recommendations," only said one thing:
"Department of Defense should allow Muslims Soldiers the option of being released as 'Conscientious objectors' to increase troop morale and decrease adverse events," according to Hasan's power point that is posted at cnn.com.
Hasan recently took master's courses at the Uniformed Services University where classmates complained to superiors about his anti-American rants, according to msnbc.com.
Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT.) chairs the Senate's committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and said he believes the shooting could have possibly been prevented.
"If Hasan was showing signs, saying to people that he had become an Islamist extremist, the U.S. Army has to have zero tolerance. He should have been gone," Lieberman said, according to an article on nypost.com.
Hasan attended a Virginia mosque at the same time as two of the 9/11 high-jackers and the FBI is investigating if there is a connection between the men, according to the article on nypost.com.
Despite these possible ties, FBI officials said there is no evidence to indicate that Hasan had any co-conspirators or was a part of a larger terrorist plot, according to a FBI press release.
Hasan came to the attention of the FBI in December 2008 during an investigation by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces. JTTFs reviewed communications by Hasan and concluded that they were consistent with his research at the Walter Reed Medical Center and not related to terrorist activities. The FBI hopes to gain insight in Hasan's motivation by reviewing his computers and Internet activity, according to the FBI press release.
Details remain unclear as of Friday Nov. 13 as to who actually stopped the shooter. Two civilian police officers, Kimberly Munley and Senior Sgt. Officer Mark Todd have been identified as being involved in ending the shooting spree, according to an article on nytimes.com.
The suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was placed in an intensive care unit following the shooting. On Tuesday Nov. 10, an estimated 15,000 people attended the memorial service held for the victims.
President Barack Obama also attended the memorial service at Fort Hood. Obama laid a presidential coin with each of the 13 battlefield crosses - a rifle, helmet and boots that represent each fallen soldier, according to an article on cnn.com.
Hasan has been described as "very outspoken of the war" by a former classmate, according to an article on cnn.com.
In June 2007, Hasan gave a presentation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that was meant to be a culminating exercise for his residency. Instead, Hasan delivered a presentation on Islam and what he said he believes are the adverse effects that may occur as a result of the War on Terror, according to washingtonpost.com.
The final slide, entitled "Recommendations," only said one thing:
"Department of Defense should allow Muslims Soldiers the option of being released as 'Conscientious objectors' to increase troop morale and decrease adverse events," according to Hasan's power point that is posted at cnn.com.
Hasan recently took master's courses at the Uniformed Services University where classmates complained to superiors about his anti-American rants, according to msnbc.com.
Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT.) chairs the Senate's committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and said he believes the shooting could have possibly been prevented.
"If Hasan was showing signs, saying to people that he had become an Islamist extremist, the U.S. Army has to have zero tolerance. He should have been gone," Lieberman said, according to an article on nypost.com.
Hasan attended a Virginia mosque at the same time as two of the 9/11 high-jackers and the FBI is investigating if there is a connection between the men, according to the article on nypost.com.
Despite these possible ties, FBI officials said there is no evidence to indicate that Hasan had any co-conspirators or was a part of a larger terrorist plot, according to a FBI press release.
Hasan came to the attention of the FBI in December 2008 during an investigation by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Forces. JTTFs reviewed communications by Hasan and concluded that they were consistent with his research at the Walter Reed Medical Center and not related to terrorist activities. The FBI hopes to gain insight in Hasan's motivation by reviewing his computers and Internet activity, according to the FBI press release.
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