March 19, 2024, 03:48:16 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: NEW CHILD BOARD CREATED IN THE POLITICAL SECTION FOR THE 2016 ELECTION
 
   Home   Help Login Register  
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 »   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Shooting at Ft. Hood Texas 11/05/09 13 dead, 43 wounded-(Murder Charges)  (Read 730176 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #760 on: November 22, 2009, 02:14:05 PM »

Aftermath of the Fort Hood atrocity
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/85ccac5a-d794-11de-b578-00144feabdc0.html
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #761 on: November 22, 2009, 02:20:18 PM »


Many Muslim soldiers have lost their lives during
 the wars Iraq and Afghanistan. (Google)

Being A Muslim Soldier at Fort Hood

IslamOnline.net & Newspapers

Many Muslim soldiers have lost their lives during the wars Iraq and Afghanistan. (Google)
CAIRO – Every morning, Sgt. Fahad Kamal reports for work at Fort Hood military base to treat ailing soldiers returning from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"Being a good Muslim means being good to everyone," Kamal, a Muslim army medic, told The Dallas Morning News on Sunday, November 22.

The 26-year-old spends, who served in Afghanistan before moving to Fort Hood, spends most of his time treating his traumatized fellow soldiers.

On November 5, Kamal heard the news that a Muslim army physician went on a shooting rampage in the military base, killing 13 people and wounding 30.

Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim army psychiatrist, is the sole suspect in the shooting.

Immediately, Kamal joined his fellows in rescuing the wounded of the attack, refusing to leave the base to see if Fort Hood needed help treating victims.

The Muslim combat medic said that Islam is against violence.

"That man happened to be a Muslim, but in our religion, we don't condone such violence."

Maj. Derrill Guidry, another Muslim soldier at Fort Hood, agrees.

"He (Hasan) cracked under the pressure of his own fears,” he said.

“In terms of Islam, he was just plain wrong."

The Fort Hood attack drew immediate condemnation from all leading American Muslim organizations, including Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

US Muslims groups have also launched a fund to help the families of the Fort Hood victims.

Tolerant Army

Since joining the army, Kamal has been open about his Islamic faith, answering his fellow soldiers’ questions about the religion.

"Jesus is one of our prophets as well," Kamal answers his fellow soldiers, to their great surprise.

When Kamal first decided to sign up for the army, his mom initially refused, fearing discrimination.

“I was scared,” his mother, Nabeela, said.

“I didn't want him to be far from the family, because he is my oldest son. Father was going through chemotherapy at that time."

The mother had another concern.

"Are they going to look down on you?" she asked.

"Mom, this is America," Kamal answered.

At his military service, Kamal easily mixed with soldiers of other faiths, swapping gifts with friends at Christmas and feasting on both roast turkey and biryani on Thanksgiving Day.

Concerns have been growing about anti-Muslim backlash over the Fort Hood shooting.

US Army chief of staff General George Casey has warned that the attack could prompt a backlash against Muslim soldiers.

But Kamal says that the has never felt discriminated against as a Muslim in the US military.

He even sees the Army as more knowledgeable and tolerant of Islam than the general public.

The Muslim soldier recalls one day when he was bantering with a fellow soldier, when he ribbed his friend, saying "You loser!"

"You terrorist!" the fellow soldier replied.

Though the soldier was joking, the drill sergeant called the guy out in front of everyone.

“You window licker! You peanut butter eater! This Army is diverse,” the sergeant angrily told the soldiers at the drill.

Muslim Patriot

In 2007, Kamal was deployed to a 15-month tour in war-torn Afghanistan.

During his tour in the southern province of Kandhar, Kamal packed a copy of Sura Yaseen, "the heart of the Quran," in the left chest pocket of his uniform.

The Muslim medic was valued by his commander for his native Urdu language skills, sometimes asking him to translate or brief troops on basic greetings.

He was also admired for remaining calm under pressures.

"I like helping people,” said Kamal. “It feels good to see you made a difference."

During his tour, Kamal went on night patrols, where soldiers are encountered with improvised explosive devices.

"He's a very patriotic individual, and he enjoys what he does," Kamal’s brother, Faez, 23, said.

Many Muslim soldiers have lost their lives during their military tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At Arlington National Cemetery, amid a sea of crosses, there are crescents carved on tombstones. There are Muslim names on Iraq war memorials at Fort Hood.

"We're serving and sacrificing alongside our fellow service members," said Jamal Baadani, a Marine Corps veteran who founded the Association for Patriotic Arab Americans in Military after the 9/11 attacks.

There is no official count of Muslims serving in the 1.4 million-strong US armed forces because recruits are not required to state their religion.

But according to the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affair Council, there are more than 20,000 Muslims serving in the military.

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1258880421739&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #762 on: November 22, 2009, 02:26:27 PM »


More than 20,000 Muslims are estimated to be serving in America's 1.4 million-strong armed forces.

Fort Hood Tragedy... Muslim Soldiers Speak Out


By  Dilshad D. Ali, D. IOL Correspondent
More than 20,000 Muslims are estimated to be serving in America's 1.4 million-strong armed forces.

More than 20,000 Muslims are estimated to be serving in America's 1.4 million-strong armed forces. (Google photo)
WASHINGTON – Several Muslims who have served or are currently serving in the military say the tragic deaths of 13 soldiers in Fort Hood, Texas, at the hands of Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan is an individual action that does not represent them, insisting that Muslims remain an integral part of the US military.

"There’s nothing we [in the military] can do about it," Robert Salaam, a former Marine who reverted to Islam after 9/11, told IslamOnline.net.

"What Maj. Hasan did does not represent us," he told IOL confidently.

Some 13 people were killed and 30 wounded late Thursday in Fort Hood military base when Major Hasan, an army psychiatrist, opened fire at fellow soldiers.

Hasan, who was born in the US to Palestinian parents, was shot and taken into custody after the attack.

James Booth, a 26-year-old private serving his first tour in Iraq, was shocked and horrified by suspect Maj. Hasan’s shooting spree in Fort Hood.

He said the news spread fast amongst the soldiers stationed all around Iraq.

As he vehemently condemns the shooting, Jameel Malik, a lance corporal in the Marine Corps currently stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, says Muslims must stop being apologetic.

"Why should we apologize for something someone else did that does not represent Muslims in any way?" he told IOL.

There is no official count of Muslims serving in the 1.4 million-strong US armed forces because recruits are not required to state their religion.

But according to the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affair Council, there are more than 20,000 Muslims serving in the military.

Feared Backlash


"I am confident that my brothers and sisters in the army will react calmly and rationally to this terrible incident," Booth said.

Qaseem Ali Uqdah, a 21-year Marine Corps veteran and a chaplain in the Air Force, says the tragedy must be treated as a criminal one.

Uqdah, who now heads AMAFVAC, is worried about a "witch hunt" following the Fort Hood killings.

Salaam, the former Marine, also fears many would not disassociate Maj. Hasan’s criminal actions from his faith.

"Starting today, it’s going to be hard," he believes.

Though his experience when serving in the army was positive and though he believes that Muslim service members are a vital and loyal part of the military, Salaam fears the tragedy will cause problems of public perception.

"When I was serving, there were isolated incidents of people making offensive comments, but they were swiftly reprimanded," he recalls.

"But when something like this happens, it’s hard to explain to people outside of the military that one man’s twisted motives do not speak for the thousands of Muslims serving their country.

"In the Marine Corp we say ‘God, Country, Corp.’ Those are concepts very synonymous with Islam. And when something like this happens, it’s like a major setback in [public] relations, because [people think] that we can’t even trust those who have given an oath to his country."

Booth, who converted to Islam six months after joining the army and is serving in Iraq, does not share the fears of violence and a backlash.

"I am confident that my brothers and sisters in the army will react calmly and rationally to this terrible incident."

He says the army has always been respectful of his faith.

Initially, he admitted, he was nervous to let on that he was Muslim.

"I would say I was going to the restroom when it was time for me to pray to avoid being detected," he told IOL.

"Eventually I got tired of that and just told [my unit] that I was Muslim. Other than a few curious questions at first, I am treated just like everybody else."

Malik, a 22-year-old who joined the Marines in 2007, said people don’t realize that the diversity amongst Marines and other service members holds them together.

"In the words of Colonel Douglas Burpee (a high-ranking Marine), ‘In the era of the war on terror, the example of a devout Muslim serving in the American Military is a heartening sign that highlights the difference between America and its self-appointed enemies in this conflict.'"

Proud Americans


Muslims in the military say that the record of the thousands of Muslim-American soldiers who have sacrificed in the service of their country is proof enough that they are a vital part of the military.

Salaam, the former marines, insists that Muslim and non-Muslim soldiers have no problems with each other.

"It’s the political climate that drives the ‘Muslims in the military problem,'" he contends.

"If it was a problem, we wouldn’t see Muslim centers at military bases around the countries. We wouldn’t see Marines in their dress blues coming for Jummah prayers," added Salaam.

"You can be religious and serve your country. Maj. Hasan’s actions should not eclipse all the good done by Muslims in the military."

Reacting to attempts by conservative politicians to take the Fort Hood killings and extrapolate it to suggest Muslims shouldn’t be welcome in the military, Malik, the Marines corporal, says such politicians are simply uneducated about the true teachings of Islam.

"I would say to them the next time you hear about ‘Islamic terrorists ready to destroy America,’ be sure to recognize two things," he said confidently.

"First that those terrorists have as much to do with Islam as the Klu Klux Klan had to do with Christ (peace be upon him).

"Second, recognize that you have an even more powerful military, one that also comprises of Muslims ready to defend America with everything they have, including their very lives."

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1256909772392&pagename=Zone-English-News%2FNWELayout
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #763 on: November 22, 2009, 02:49:15 PM »

Defense Attorney: Hasan Won't Plead Guilty, May Use Insanity Defense

Retired Col. John Galligan Says Accused Fort Hood Shooter Is Paralyzed From Chest Down and in Severe Pain
By MARK SCHONE
Nov. 22, 2009


John Galligan speaks outside Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Galligan, the attorney for the Army psychiatrist accused in the mass shooting at Fort Hood, said he found Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, shown in this inset photo, to be "coherent" when he met with him Monday. Collapse
(ABC News/AP Photo)

The defense attorney for accused his client will probably plead not guilty and that an insanity defense is possible.

Attorney says Hasan is lucid and won't plead guilty to charges of killing 13.

"I anticipate that the plea will be not guilty," said defense attorney John Galligan.

Asked if he was considering an insanity plea for his client, who faces 13 counts of premeditated murder, Galligan said, "I'm fairly confident that that's going to have to at least be examined. And that's problematic. But we haven't reached that stage yet."

Galligan said he has also learned that his client, who will be tried in a military court, may face additional charges for the Nov. 5 shooting spree in Fort Hood, Texas. He said he was alerted to the new charges during a pre-trial confinement hearing before a military magistrate held in Hasan's San Antonio hospital room Saturday.

After the hearing at the Brooke Army Medical Center Saturday, Galligan said his client is paralyzed from the chest down and is a not a flight risk. The military magistrate ruled that Hasan will stay at Brooke Army Medical Center for now, but the military has the option of moving him to another medical facility or to jail.

According to Galligan, Hasan is paralyzed, is incontinent and "in severe pain."

"He is an individual in need of constant medical attention," Galligan said. "He has no sensation from his chest down."

Previously, Galligan had said Hasan was paralyzed from the waist down. Galligan questioned the speed with which the legal process is moving.

"In the 36 years I've dealt with military justice cases," Galligan said, "this is the first time I have ever had to go to an ICU to conduct a hearing. "We could have conducted this hearing next week. He is paralyzed. He is not going on leave."

Galligan, a retired Army colonel now in private practice, said the hearing lasted a little over an hour. According to Galligan, Hasan is coherent, "is able to speak with me, at least for short periods of time," and understands that legal proceedings are underway and such proceedings as the hearing will grow more frequent.

Galligan said he does not expect the Army to move his client from Brooke AMC immediately, but he does want to know when Hasan might be moved and where he might be moved. Hasan's official change in status from pre-trial restriction to pre-trial confinement, which was the subject of the Saturday hearing, also limits the number of people who can visit him.

"He is still a patient, but he is also a pretrial confinee," Galligan said. "There was not a compelling government interest to change his status at this time. "Given that condition, why is he anything but a patient?"

Hasan was transferred to Brooke AMC Nov. 6, a day after the shooting. He was taken off a ventilator Nov. 7. The following day, when investigators tried to interview him, he refused to answer questions and requested a lawyer.

Galligan, whose private practice is in nearby Belton, Texas, met with Hasan for the first time Nov. 9. He has asked that his security clearance be reinstated so that he can review all the evidence against Hasan.

Galligan told "Good Morning America" that he is defending Hasan because he has spent "a large portion of my military career and post-retirement career" representing soldiers.

"I'm proud any time I have an opportunity to defend an American soldier or officer in a court martial proceeding," Galligan said. "Mayor Hasan is presumed innocent of these charges."

Military prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/defense-attorney-john-galligan-hasan-plead-guilty-insanity/story?id=9148871&page=2

Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #764 on: November 22, 2009, 07:54:02 PM »

Suspects in Dallas plot, Fort Hood shootings were on FBI's radar, but only one was taken down

09:39 AM CST on Sunday, November 22, 2009

By DAVID TARRANT / The Dallas Morning News
dtarrant@dallasnews.com

Both Hosam "Sam" Smadi and Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan attracted attention from federal agents long before their high-profile arrests.

But the two Texas cases, just six weeks apart, resulted in spectacularly different outcomes – one in the prevention of a large-scale terrorist attack in Dallas, the other in a deadly shooting rampage of soldiers and civilians at Fort Hood.

The Sept. 24 arrest of Smadi in Dallas came after he allegedly tried to detonate a vehicle with government- supplied fake explosives at a downtown skyscraper. Smadi was the object of a months-long FBI sting involving Arabic-speaking undercover agents.

The FBI chose not to take the same approach with Hasan, who is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder after the Nov. 5 attack at a base processing center filled with soldiers preparing for deployment to Afghanistan.

An FBI-run terrorism task force knew last December that Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, sent 16 e-mails to Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric in Yemen who supports violence against the West.

"Why didn't someone intervene before this man picked up a gun?" asked David Cid, who retired from the FBI after 20 years and is executive director of the Memorial Institute for Prevention of Terrorism in Oklahoma City. "Had the FBI perceived him as a threat, they absolutely would have intervened. So the fundamental question is: Why they didn't see him as a threat? I'm puzzled and concerned."

The FBI has said that analysts decided that Hasan's e-mails had to do with his research on Muslim U.S. soldiers' feelings about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and were not a red flag signaling a threat.

On Thursday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered all military branches to find ways of "identifying service members who could potentially pose credible threats to others." Gates also announced that the Army would study whether it could have prevented the massacre at Fort Hood.

Congress is also looking into the Hasan case. One Senate committee is holding hearings. Another plans to investigate whether intelligence-sharing problems prevented Hasan from being flagged as a threat.

Interviews with counter-terrorism experts, including former FBI agents, indicate that the Smadi and Hasan cases expose vulnerabilities and challenges the government faces in its ongoing effort to prevent acts of terrorism.

The 'lone wolf' problem


The aspiring terrorist, who is either acting alone or within a small group, represents the most dangerous threat that investigators face. It is impossible for the government to identify and, if necessary, take pre-emptive action on every person who espouses violence – to separate the wheat from the chaff.

"In many ways, the lone wolf insider threat is the most challenging and difficult of problems for the counterterrorism and law enforcement communities," said Juan Zarate, former deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism for President George W. Bush.

The best chance to catch aspiring terrorists is when they leave footprints, said Zarate, in his testimony Thursday during hearings into Fort Hood shootings by the Senate Homeland Security Committee. "The more a terrorist is interacting, communicating, and manifesting intent and capabilities, the more likely the plot can be prevented. The U.S. government and foreign partners have uncovered a variety of such cells and networks since 9/11 and prevented numerous attacks."

What made the Fort Hood case so hard to prevent, Zarate said, "was that Maj. Hasan allegedly acted alone, in lone wolf fashion, and may have used his medical research to mask his own inner turmoil and attraction to a violent ideology."

The lone wolf is often an individual who becomes radicalized after exposure to extremist Web sites or through encounters at a place of worship. "They have the intent, then, but they don't have the capability" to do violence, said Scott Stewart, vice president of tactical intelligence for Stratfor Global Intelligence, an Austin-based private firm that gathers intelligence for corporations, U.S. agencies and foreign governments.

"Quite often, they try to gain that capability," he said, and that's often the point when the lone wolf attracts attention from the government.

"It's much easier if you have someone who is overtly soliciting logistical support, who is fishing in a terrorist pond for help," said Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI profiler and hostage negotiator, who worked for the bureau for 25 years.

That was the case of Smadi. According to an FBI affidavit, an undercover FBI agent monitoring an online extremist Web site discovered Smadi espousing jihad against the U.S. more than eight months ago. The 19-year-old Jordanian, who was living near Dallas on an expired tourist visa, was approached by undercover agents pretending to be terrorists. Smadi told them that he wanted to "bring down" Fountain Place, a 60-story office tower, which houses a Wells Fargo bank branch and several commercial enterprises, the affidavit said.

"Smadi is viewed as the classic way a threat emerges," said Douglas Farah, a security consultant and former journalist who investigated terrorist groups. "He's poor and angry, [and has] nothing to lose."

Failure of the imagination

According to several experts, Hasan might have escaped serious scrutiny by the government because of his rank and occupation. A psychiatrist and military officer with a security clearance, Hasan doesn't fit the classic profile of a desperado.

"The challenge with Hasan is he's a psychiatrist, a major in the Army. [He's] been there for 10 years and has a track record," said Van Zandt, the former FBI profiler.

"I think part of it also is the sheer mental wall that someone in the military forces would betray their fellow soldiers," said Farah, the security consultant. "That act of betrayal. It's another example of the failure of the imagination that was brought up by the 9/11 Commission."

Ironically, the fact that Hasan was a Muslim also may have been a factor preventing serious inquiry into the Army major's background – since the military as well as the FBI and other government agencies have heavily recruited Muslims.

"There is legitimate concern as to not wanting to target Muslims," Farah said. "But I do think you have to think of this as a radicalization process and pushing buttons that are directly tied to religious beliefs. You do have a sector of Islam that says you can't be a Muslim and serve in the U.S. military. And he [Hasan] called himself a soldier of Allah."

Hasan often spoke about his faith-based opposition to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. During a PowerPoint presentation in 2007 that was supposed to focus on medical topics, he instead gave a lecture on the moral conflict that Muslims in the military faced as a result of the wars.

If nothing else, that should have raised Hasan's profile to the point where the FBI could have at least talked to him – a case of: "Let's follow this guy a little more closely," Van Zandt said.

"If you know enough to reach out to al-Awlaki, who's not easy to find – if you figure that out, then you're really looking. It shows a certain intentionality," said Farah.

Still, there are mitigating factors – including rights of free speech guaranteed by the Constitution. It's not against the law to espouse violence or even to condone acts of violence, such as the shooting at a recruiting center in Little Rock, Ark., said Stewart, of Stratfor.

Failure to connect the dots

Signs of Hasan's radicalism have emerged since the Fort Hood shootings. But why wasn't that information shared – or acted upon?

"Lots of people saw signs of trouble, but nobody connected the dots," Van Zandt said. "Everybody was carrying around dots in their pockets – his co-workers, his medical school peers – everybody had a dot here and a dot there."

There is no wall between military and civilian investigators that would have impeded investigators. "The FBI has jurisdiction on military bases," said Cid, who helped investigate the Oklahoma City bombing. The military and FBI often work together so "exchange of information shouldn't be impaired."

In addition, interagency communication has improved since problems were identified after the 9/11 attacks eight years ago. "All that being said, it's a complex system," Cid said. "I see mistakes not through malice and intent, but oversight. It's easy to overlook something."

In the end, nobody could prevent the tragedy at Fort Hood. But the case does provide the opportunity to re-examine how the government conducts national security investigations and ways they can be improved.

"I think we're going to see a lot more come out as we get into the hearings on this," Stewart said.

Staff writers Dave Michaels in Washington, D.C., and Jason Trahan and Lee Hancock contributed to this report.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/112209dnentlonewolf.450512f.html
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #765 on: November 22, 2009, 08:01:52 PM »

Fort Hood: facing facts

Last Updated: 11:18 AM, November 22, 2009
Posted: 12:52 AM, November 22, 2009
A bill now before Congress would make official what’s already plain: The 42 victims, including 13 fatalities, in this month’s Fort Hood shooting were casualties of war.

Whether they took fire in Afghanistan, Iraq or Texas makes no difference: The twisted ideology that brought down the Twin Towers knows no borders. Nor is it relevant that the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, himself wore the uniform: He’d imbibed deeply from the wells of radical Islam — even establishing contact with an al Qaeda-linked imam in Yemen.

The bill, introduced last Tuesday by Texas Rep. John Carter, whose district includes Fort Hood, would grant those who were killed or wounded in the shooting the same legal status as combat casualties — putting them in line for appropriate recognition of their valor.

For those who wore the uniform, that would mean the Purple Heart — awarded to servicemembers who have shed blood on the field of battle.

The soldiers who fell at Fort Hood knew they might be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Indeed, many were about to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

That their sacrifice, ironically, wound up coming at home, and through treacherous means, makes it no less heroic.

 The civilian casualties, meanwhile, would be in line for the Secretary of Defense Medal of Freedom — the award created for civilian Pentagon employees killed or wounded on 9/11.

Survivors of the killed soldiers would also be eligible for maximum Defense Department benefits.

The Carter bill already enjoys broad bipartisan support, though it’s likely to be opposed by those who, for the sake of political correctness, wish to pretend that the Fort Hood attack was something other than an act of war.

Yet amid a war that began with a surprise attack on US soil, to pretend that such a thing can’t — and hasn’t — happened again is the height of foolishness.

More’s the pity if such a denial robs Fort Hood’s casualties of their due honor.

A bill now before Congress would make official what’s already plain: The 42 victims, including 13 fatalities, in this month’s Fort Hood shooting were casualties of war.

Whether they took fire in Afghanistan, Iraq or Texas makes no difference: The twisted ideology that brought down the Twin Towers knows no borders.

Nor is it relevant that the alleged gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, himself wore the uniform: He’d imbibed deeply from the wells of radical Islam — even establishing contact with an al Qaeda-linked imam in Yemen.

The bill, introduced last Tuesday by Texas Rep. John Carter, whose district includes Fort Hood, would grant those who were killed or wounded in the shooting the same legal status as combat casualties — putting them in line for appropriate recognition of their valor.
UPI

For those who wore the uniform, that would mean the Purple Heart — awarded to servicemembers who have shed blood on the field of battle.

The soldiers who fell at Fort Hood knew they might be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Indeed, many were about to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

That their sacrifice, ironically, wound up coming at home, and through treacherous means, makes it no less heroic.

The civilian casualties, meanwhile, would be in line for the Secretary of Defense Medal of Freedom — the award created for civilian Pentagon employees killed or wounded on 9/11.

Survivors of the killed soldiers would also be eligible for maximum Defense Department benefits.

The Carter bill already enjoys broad bipartisan support, though it’s likely to be opposed by those who, for the sake of political correctness, wish to pretend that the Fort Hood attack was something other than an act of war.

Yet amid a war that began with a surprise attack on US soil, to pretend that such a thing can’t — and hasn’t — happened again is the height of foolishness.

More’s the pity if such a denial robs Fort Hood’s casualties of their due honor.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/fort_hood_facing_facts_5oMys5yJoChp6o8TZOQR1J

Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #766 on: November 22, 2009, 08:09:40 PM »


EDWARD A. ORNELAS/eaornelas@express-news.net
Outside the gates of Fort Sam Houston, retired Army Col. John P. Galligan, lead attorney for Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, said he felt the Army sought the pretrial detention hearing prematurely and he discussed possible consequences of Hasan's new status.

Restraints on Fort Hood suspect tighten


By Guillermo Contreras - Express-News

In a court hearing from a San Antonio military hospital room Saturday, the Army obtained a judicial order that placed more restrictions on Fort Hood shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and makes it easier for the military to move him from Brooke Army Medical Center pending trial, according to his lead lawyer.

But where Hasan might be moved — or when — remained a mystery after the hearing, which lasted an hour and a half and was held in BAMC's intensive care unit, where Hasan is recuperating, the lawyer, retired Army Col. John P. Galligan, said.

Galligan addressed reporters outside the gates of Fort Sam Houston, where BAMC is located, because the Army did not allow media at the hearing and sidestepped a legal challenge from the San Antonio Express-News that sought access for journalists.

Post guards chased away journalists who approached Galligan's vehicle after the hearing because half of the car was still within the outer perimeter gate.

The Army supplied only vague details of the hearing late Friday after getting media inquiries. It even refused to identify the prosecutors.

Galligan said Hasan's immediate command at Army III Corps, based at Fort Hood, notified Hasan earlier Friday that it would seek to change his status from restricted patient to pretrial detainee. Galligan said that usually requires a hearing to be held soon after the request.

Galligan said he asked that Hasan's immediate commander be at the hearing, but the commander was not available and was a no-show, Galligan said.

At the hearing, a military judge, Lt. Col. William R. Hintze, granted the Army's request and also found enough probable cause for the 13 charges of premeditated murder to remain against Hasan, Galligan said. Hasan was charged Nov. 12 in the shootings that killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 at the Soldier Readiness Center at Fort Hood.

Hasan, a Muslim, was conflicted about having to deploy to Afghanistan to fight other Muslims, according to news accounts. Other accounts say he reached out to extremists, but Galligan — who said he was not going to address the allegations at this time — cautioned against rushing to judgment.

“A couple of days ago, he was a restricted patient,” Galligan said. “He is now a confined patient. .. When the status changes to pretrial confinee, there are consequences.”

Galligan said there might be limits on visits to Hasan, for example, or that it might lead to his being moved farther from his lawyers or where it would be more difficult to get their counsel. Galligan said it was unclear when Hasan might leave BAMC.

“I've asked that the prosecutors delineate those things,” Galligan said. “There were no immediate clear answers.”

Galligan said the command rushed the hearing for no reason, given that Hasan is not likely to go anywhere. Galligan said Hasan remains in severe pain and is paralyzed.

Galligan previously said Hasan had no feeling from his waist down, but noted Saturday that he has “no sensation from his chest down.”

Galligan, who is defending Hasan with help from a military lawyer, Army Maj. Christopher Martin, has also asked the government for an investigator and an additional military lawyer to assist them, and for security clearance so he can better represent Hasan. The military has not yet granted those requests, which Galligan believes should have come before the Army asked for the pretrial detention hearing.

“All I'm saying is he's been in the hospital and ICU and I saw no immediate reason to change his status,” Galligan said. “We think the government asked for pretrial confinement prematurely.”

“He's paralyzed. He's not going to go on leave.”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/Judicial_order_places_more_restrictions_on_Hasan.html
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #767 on: November 22, 2009, 08:14:14 PM »

Combat zone designation for Fort Hood massacre transcends semantics

09:33 AM CST on Sunday, November 22, 2009
By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
tgillman@dallasnews.com

WASHINGTON – Twelve of the 13 casualties in the Fort Hood massacre were soldiers. But were they combatants, and was an Army post in the middle of Texas a combat zone?

If the answer is yes – as many Texas lawmakers say – the victims of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's rampage would be eligible for Purple Hearts and other benefits not typically available for soldiers injured or killed on American soil, including maximum life insurance payouts and extra housing allowances for family.

But this is an issue that transcends both benefits and semantics, just as the "global war on terror" – for those who embrace that terminology – transcends borders and nationalities.

"They are combatants. They just didn't expect to be combatants at Fort Hood," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. "It demonstrates that a war zone is not just Afghanistan and Iraq. It's even here at home when you have homegrown radicalized Muslims who become jihadists."

Last week, Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, filed legislation that states that the soldiers shot by Hasan "shall be deemed ... to have been killed or wounded in a combat zone as the result of an act of an enemy of the United States."

"As far as I'm concerned, this was an attack by an enemy upon American troops on American soil," Carter said.

Cornyn, joined by GOP Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman , filed a Senate version of the measure on Friday.

Congress would be labeling Hasan an enemy of the country where he was born and which he had sworn to protect as an officer. And it would be saying something extraordinary: America got a glimpse of Kabul and Baghdad in the heart of Texas, which hasn't seen international combat since the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War.

Hutchison asserted that the Fort Hood victims "were targeted by a terrorist because they were soldiers about to be deployed to combat operations overseas. On that terrible day, Fort Hood became a battlefield in the 'war on terror.' "

Interestingly, jihadists also embrace the idea that Fort Hood was a front in that war, and that potential combatants deserve the same treatment as actual combatants.

Anwar al-Awlaki, the New Mexico-born Yemini cleric to whom Hasan turned for guidance in the past year, and who called him a hero, argued that the shootings were justified because they prevented soldiers from deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Of course, this is strangle-the-baby-in-the-crib logic – abhorrent to those who view Hasan's victims as heroes and are simply seeking enhanced benefits for them and their kin.

The House bill has nearly 80 sponsors, about a third of them Democrats, including Texans Chet Edwards of Waco, Solomon Ortiz of Corpus Christi and Henry Cuellar of Laredo. Most Texas Republicans have signed on.

President Barack Obama has rejected the Bush-era characterization of a "global war on terror." On those rare occasions when aides slip, the White House quickly issues clarifications to make sure no one infers a shift in mind-set.

As for the Hasan incident, the administration has resisted labeling it an act of terror or war. This has caused some exasperation in Congress.

"Every day, it grows more clear that the shooting at Fort Hood was the worst terrorist attack on America since September 11, 2001," Lieberman said.

The tussle over labels and the push for combat designation reflect ideological differences, and the fact that language hasn't quite kept pace with evolving 21st century threats.

Still, it's sobering to think that Texas has once again seen combat, because that implies a theater of operations that truly has no borders.

Todd J. Gillman is Washington Bureau chief of The Dallas Morning News.

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-texwatch_22nat.ART.State.Edition2.4bdb381.html
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #768 on: November 22, 2009, 08:24:01 PM »

Video: Hasan's 14th victim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGUkVq1QGuo&feature=player_embedded#
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #769 on: November 24, 2009, 07:49:45 PM »

Leaders of Pentagon probe come to Fort Hood

By ANGELA K. BROWN (AP) – 1 hour ago

FORT HOOD, Texas — Former top Pentagon officials investigating the attack at a Texas Army post have visited the site of the shootings and a military hospital.

Former Army Secretary Togo West and former Navy chief, Vernon Clark, were appointed to lead the 45-day review after the Nov. 5 shooting spree at Fort Hood that left 13 dead.

Clark says hearing stories about first responders was "very, very encouraging."

The investigators will examine procedures for identifying volatile U.S. military service members hidden in the ranks and lapses that might allow others to slip through unnoticed.

West said since it is not a criminal investigation, it's doubtful they will try to talk to Maj. Nidal Hasan, who's been charged in the killings. He remains in intensive care at a military hospital.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ihGepAkECGoDagETVBMpPb3w7Y3gD9C66U7G0
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #770 on: November 24, 2009, 07:51:39 PM »

Fort Hood Shoorting Suspect Will Remain Hospitalized, Paralysis Permanent

AP
Published: November 23, 2009


FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A military magistrate has ruled that the Army major accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood will be confined until trial.

For now, that means Maj. Nidal Hasan will stay in a military hospital in San Antonio. Hasan’s civilian attorney says the magistrate also ruled there was probable cause that Hasan committed last month’s shootings.

Today’s hearing was held in Hasan’s hospital room as he recovers from gunshot wounds received during the Nov. 5 attack. The suspect is in intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center. His attorney says Hasan has no feeling from the chest down and has limited movement in his arms. He has been told the paralysis is permanent.

The hearing was closed to the media. Officials at Fort Hood have declined to comment.

http://www2.wjbf.com/jbf/news/national/article/fort_hood_shoorting_suspect_will_remain_hospitalized_paralysis_permanent/40597/
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #771 on: November 24, 2009, 07:57:42 PM »

Leaders of Pentagon probe come to Fort Hood

11/25/2009

By ANGELA K. BROWN  / Associated Press

Two former Pentagon officials on Tuesday began their review into the Fort Hood mass shooting that left 13 dead and an Army psychiatrist charged with murder.

Former Army Secretary Togo West and former Navy chief Vernon Clark, who were appointed to lead the 45-day review, said they toured the scene of the shootings and spent time at the military hospital. Clark said hearing stories about the first responders was "very, very encouraging."

West said the panel would review Department of Defense policies and procedures for identifying service members who could pose threats to others as well as the military's ability to respond to mass casualties.

The panel is expected to assess personnel programs, medical screenings and release and discharge policies, as well as the department's stateside security programs at bases and other facilities.

West said it was not a criminal investigation.

"It is not a purpose of ours to point fingers. We are simply here to accumulate information and offer our best judgments for the secretary of defense," West said. "Today we take the first step along that road."

A separate criminal investigation is ongoing.

Maj. Nidal Hasan has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder in the Nov. 5 shooting at a processing center where soldiers must go before they are deployed. Hasan remains in intensive care at a San Antonio military hospital recovering from gunshot wounds.

Hasan's civilian attorney, John Galligan, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that it's highly unlikely he would allow anyone involved in the investigations to question his client.

After the one-day trip to Fort Hood, the panel will continue reviewing policies but may return to the Texas Army post to gather more information, Clark said.

"Today's activities have been immensely valuable to me, providing a baseline of factual information upon which we will grow the rest of the information that is required to conduct the assessment that we have been tasked with by the secretary of defense," Clark said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates also has said a longer, second review lasting about six months will look at "systemic institutional shortcomings."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9C67ADG1.html
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #772 on: November 24, 2009, 08:26:58 PM »


 Lt. Colonel Junita Warman killed in shooting rampage at Fort Hood. She lived in Harford County. (WBAL TV photo)


The casket of Army Lt. Col. Juanita Warman is transported by a horse drawn caisson at her burial services at Arlington National Cemetery, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. Warman, 55, of Havre De Grace, Md., was at Fort Hood preparing for deployment to Iraq when an Army psychiatrist allegedly opened fire on fellow soldiers. She leaves behind two daughters and six grandchildren.
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)


The honor guard carries the casket of Army Lt. Col. Juanita Warman at her burial services at Arlington National Cemetery, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. Warman, 55, of Havre De Grace, Md., was preparing at Fort Hood for deployment to Iraq when an Army psychiatrist allegedly opened fire on fellow soldiers. She leaves behind two daughters and six grandchildren.
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)




 Local Fort Hood Victim Laid to Rest

Lt. Col. Juanita Warman was an "extraordinary woman"

By ASHLEY E. BROWN
Updated 6:50 AM EST, Tue, Nov 24, 2009

Greg Bledsoe

A chilly, rainy November day greeted the family members, friends and colleagues who gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to pay their last respects to Lt. Col. Juanita Warman on Monday.

Warman was one of 12 killed on Nov. 5th after a gunman opened fire at the Fort Hood military base in Texas.

A horse-drawn caisson carried Lt. Col. Warman's body through the cemetery, where she was laid to rest with full military honors. Soldiers handed the flag that had covered the caisson to family members, whose eyes matched the damp weather.

Warman was from Havre de Grace, Md., where she worked as a psychiatric nurse. Before joining the military, she worked her way through the University of Pittsburgh. In a Facebook message posted before she was killed, Warman said she "loved the Army and loved her family very much." Warman was preparing to deploy to Iraq while at Fort Hood.

Warman is survived by a large family, including two daughters, three step children, six grandchildren, and a husband, who described his wife as an extraordinary woman and a good soldier. She was 55 years old.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local-beat/Local-Fort-Hood-Victim-Laid-to-Rest-72087782.html

{img]http://imgsrv.kmox.com/image/DbLiteGraphic/200911/5596074.jpg?1259078819[/img]
ARLINGTON, VA - NOVEMBER 23: A member of an honor guard folds the American flag that covered the casket of Lt. Col. Juanita Warman November 23, 2009 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Warman was killed during the shooting at Fort Hoodon November 5, 2009. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)


ARLINGTON, VA - NOVEMBER 23: Eva Waddle (3rd R) receives the American flag that covered her daughter, Lt. Col. Juanita Warman's, casket from Maj. Gen. Robert Kasulke during a burial service November 23, 2009 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Warman was killed during the shooting at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)


ARLINGTON, VA - NOVEMBER 23: Philip Warman (L) places his hand over his heart during the playing of "Taps" at the burial service for his wife, Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, November 23, 2009 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Warman was killed during the shooting at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #773 on: November 24, 2009, 08:32:27 PM »

Video:Fort Hood Victim Buried at Arlington
A cold, relentless rain accompanied the horse-drawn caisson to Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for Lt. Colonel Juanita Warman of Havre de Grace, Maryland.
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1109/680854_video.html?ref=newsstory
Logged

Heart
MuffyBee
Former Moderator
Monkey Mega Star
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 44737



« Reply #774 on: November 24, 2009, 08:37:18 PM »

Thank you Heart for all you are doing to bring articles and pictures to this thread.   an angelic monkey
Logged

  " Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."  - Daniel Moynihan
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #775 on: November 24, 2009, 08:46:19 PM »



Soldier Reunites With Her Family

Keara Bono Will Share Experiences, Thanks With Relatives

POSTED: 4:41 pm CST November 24, 2009
UPDATED: 6:15 pm CST November 24, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For a local soldier who survived the attack at Fort Hood, this is an extraordinary holiday week in which to give thanks.

Keara Bono is back home in the Kansas City metro area.

KMBC's Maria Antonia spoke with Bono as she prepared to reunite with her loved ones Tuesday evening.

Bono's family filled the site with patriotic decorations. She arrived home late Monday night, and has not seen most of her family since the attack.

Bono was one of several soldiers wounded when Maj. Nidal Hasan allegedly opened fire in a building where soldiers were medically screened prior to deployment.

"There's going to be so many people I haven't seen forever," Bono said.

She knows that her experiences during the attack will raise questions among her relatives.

Bono has the shirt she was wearing at the time, and will be able to show her family the hole where a bullet went into her back. She said that she guessed the injury was "a ricochet or it went through something else, because it isn't that deep. By the grace of God, it didn't go that deep."

The attack injured seven members of her unit. Two of them did not survive.

Bono is being given time to heal from her injuries, and will not deploy with her unit to Iraq on Dec. 7. She will report back to Fort Hood in the middle of December before joining her unit overseas.

She said she has not been keeping up with the investigation into the attack.

Tune in to KMBC at 6 p.m. to see Bono reuniting with her family.

http://www.kmbc.com/news/21715186/detail.html#

Watch Bono Reunite With Her Family:
  http://www.kmbc.com/video/21716375/index.html
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #776 on: November 24, 2009, 08:48:11 PM »

Thank you Heart for all you are doing to bring articles and pictures to this thread.   an angelic monkey

The least I can do for our brave heros Muffy.  Thank you for starting the thread!
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #777 on: November 24, 2009, 09:34:41 PM »

VIDEO:  Stanly Co. Family Shares Son's Experience In Ft. Hood Rampage

Stanly Co. Family Shares Son’s Experience In Ft. Hood Rampage

Posted: 4:17 pm EST November 24, 2009Updated: 5:53 pm EST November 24, 2009

STANLY COUNTY, N.C. -- A Fort Hood soldier injured in a shooting rampage earlier this month was released from the hospital Tuesday, not long after his parents returned home to Stanly County.

Army Specialist Matthew Cooke told his parents vivid details about the shooting in Texas, and they shared their emotional experience with Eyewitness News.

They showed reporter Kara Lusk pictures of Cooke hugging them from his hospital bed. There he read hundreds of “Get Well” cards from people across the country.

"A lot of them were just, ‘I don't know you, but thank you,'" said Diane Frappier, Cooke’s mother.

Diane and Jerry Frappier shared photos of their son recovering from five gunshot wounds that caused major bladder and intestinal injuries.

"It was later in the second week before he would actually start to talk about it," Diane Frappier said.

Cooke told his parents he sat just feet away from accused gunman Maj. Nidal Hasan. He relived the chilling details about the gunfire that erupted around him.

Before Cooke was struck, he dove to cover Sgt. Alvin Howard, who was shot in the chest.

"That's when he received four shots -- three in the back and a grazing wound to the head. When Matt started to move, he shot Matt one last time, and that's the shot that went into his gut. Matt said that was the shot that really hurt," his mother said.

As bullets continued to fly, the bravery didn't end. Another soldier, Private Amber Barr, then saved Cooke's life.

"She was shot once in the back herself, and she saw Matt and she just reached down and grabbed him and drug him out. She ran, dragging him," Cooke’s mother said.

Cooke's family attended the Fort Hood memorial service and met President Barack Obama and the first lady.

The first lady hugged Cooke's son, Zachary, and niece, Katrina.

"So when the president was talking with Amber (Barr), I run up and said, ‘She’s the one who saved my son!" Frappier said.

She believes more people would've died had it not been for the soldiers' training and bravery, even when injured and still in harm’s way.

Cooke will receive in-home nursing care until he is well enough to go to a full-time rehabilitation center. He must also have at least two more surgeries in the coming months.

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/21714223/detail.html
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #778 on: November 24, 2009, 09:45:21 PM »

Personnel system under scrutiny in Fort Hood review

By Katherine McIntire Peters kpeters@govexec.com November 24, 2009

An independent panel selected by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to review circumstances surrounding the Nov. 5 shooting deaths of 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, will focus on the personnel policies and programs that led the Army to retain and promote Maj. Nidal Hassan, the psychiatrist charged in the killings.

Twelve soldiers and one civilian were killed in the attack; 30 others were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Hasan is in custody at a civilian hospital in Killeen, Texas, where he awaits a military trial.

The independent review that Gates ordered will focus on programs, policies and procedural weaknesses within Defense "that create vulnerabilities to the health and safety of our employees and their families," according to the terms of reference guiding the review.

The review is led by former Army Secretary Togo West and former Chief of Naval Operations Vern Clark. Other members of the task force announced this week include: Army Gen. Carter Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe; Vice Adm. Michael C. Vitale, commander of Navy Installations Command; Lt. Gen. Richard Newton III, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel; and Lt. Gen. Willie J. Williams, director of the Marine Corps staff.

Besides looking at the policies and procedures that led to the selection of Hasan for service in the Army Medical Corps as a psychiatrist and his promotion to major last spring, the task force also is charged with assessing "whether the care provided by the alleged perpetrator to patients and former patients met accepted standards."

Army officials previously declined to say what steps the service was taking to ensure Hasan's patients received appropriate follow-up care, as psychiatrists have recommended.

The task force also will assess the Army's efforts to support health care providers involved in caring for soldiers "suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental and emotional wounds and injuries." Ham is likely to play a significant role in this aspect of the review. The four-star general has publicly discussed his battles with PTSD following combat in Iraq in 2004.

In addition to examining the specific circumstances surrounding Hasan's career progression, the task force will look at whether existing policies and procedures can identify employees who pose credible threats to others; the adequacy of the department's force protection programs; Defense's emergency response capabilities; and the capacity to care for victims and families in the aftermath of a mass casualty situation.

The guidelines stipulate that the review must not interfere with two other reviews also under way -- a criminal investigation being conducted by the military and a review of intelligence matters related to Hasan directed by President Obama.

The task force is to report its findings, along with recommendations, by Jan. 15, 2010. A follow-on investigation into personnel matters is expected to take several months, according to a Pentagon spokesman.

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1109/112409kp1.htm
Logged

Heart
Heart
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7717



« Reply #779 on: November 24, 2009, 09:49:54 PM »

Hasan Wire Transfers Not Terror-Related
by Staff

Wire transfers to Pakistan made by suspected Foot Hood, Texas, shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan weren't related to terrorism, a source says.

Citing an unnamed federal law enforcement official, The Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday the transfers, made by Hasan to Pakistan in the months before this month's deadly Fort Hood shooting spree, were unrelated to the slayings.

The money "went to people not related to terrorism," the source told the newspaper, declining to elaborate.

John Galligan, Hasan's attorney, said it was likely the accused killer of 13 soldiers -- a U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent -- gave the money to Muslim charities.

"The discovery process is going to take some time," Galligan told the Morning News, "but many of the things that people are all alarmed by are going to be resolved or discounted."

The transfers reportedly aroused suspicions they could be linked to terrorism because Hasan has no family in Pakistan.

"If indeed this part of the investigation is closed, then members of Congress who have oversight authority should be able to see where the money was going," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, a member of the House Homeland Security
Committee, told the newspaper through a spokesman.

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_212269792.shtml
Logged

Heart
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 »   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Use of this web site in any manner signifies unconditional acceptance, without exception, of our terms of use.
Powered by SMF 1.1.13 | SMF © 2006-2011, Simple Machines LLC
 
Page created in 6.248 seconds with 19 queries.