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Alleged shooter wanted out of military
Possible motives for the Thursday massacre, which also left 31 wounded at the sprawling Army base, remained elusive as a sketchy, often puzzling portrait of the alleged shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, began to emerge.
Hasan, 39, had spent more than half his life in the military. He signed up for the Army out of high school, over his parents' objections, after growing up in Arlington, Va., and the military paid his way through college and medical school, family members said.
Yet by Thursday, he had spoken openly against the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and appeared to want out of the military desperately.
His aunt, Noel Hasan of Falls Church, Va., told The Washington Post he had been harassed about his Muslim faith since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and had sought a discharge from the Army for several years.
"Some people can take it, and some cannot," she said. "He had listened to all of that (harassment), and he wanted out of the military, and they would not let him leave even after he offered to repay" for his medical training.
Hasan graduated in 1997 from Virginia Tech University, where he was an ROTC member, and received his medical degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. He completed his residency at Walter Reed Medical Center and worked there until being transferred to Hood this year.
CNN, citing military records, said he had received a poor performance evaluation at Reed.
His aunt said Hasan, who is single and has no children, is a devout Muslim who prayed daily at a Maryland mosque while at Reed.
"He must have snapped," the aunt said.
She said Hasan had consulted with an attorney about getting out of the service. An Army spokesman could not confirm the discharge request.
Nader Hasan told Fox News his cousin, who specialized in treating post-traumatic stress, had turned against the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after hearing stories of those who returned from service in those countries.
Nader Hasan released a statement on behalf of the family Thursday night, saying: "We are shocked and saddened by the terrible events at Fort Hood today. …We are filled with grief for the families of today's victims."
The FBI became familiar with the name Nidal Hasan after Internet postings by someone using that name discussed suicide bombings, The New York Times and CNN reported.
"If one suicide bomber can kill 100 enemy soldiers because they were caught off guard, that would be considered a strategic victory," the man wrote, The Times said.
The newspaper stressed it could not confirm the writer was Maj. Hasan.
About six months ago, CNN said, the FBI began looking at the postings under the name Nidal Hasan on a site called "Martyrdom in Islam," which reportedly discussed suicide bombings favorably.
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, told CNN she had been informed by a military source Hasan had targeted specific individuals in the attack.
The military stressed the investigation into the shootings remains preliminary and no one should rush to judgment about motives.
Thursday night, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the Fort Hood shootings as a "cowardly attack."
"No religious or political ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence," the council said in a statement. "The attack was particularly heinous in that it targeted the all-volunteer army that protects our nation. American Muslims stand with our fellow citizens in offering both prayers for the victims and sincere condolences to the families of those killed or injured."
Copyright 2009 by United Press International
This news arrived on: 11/06/2009
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Posted Comments:
11-10-2009 13:44
Leslee in Canada wrote:
It would appear that all Americans will never be satisfied until Muslims - men, women and children - are eradicated off the face of the world. Complete extermination is your goal and no one can stop you until you achieve your goal. It boggles the mind as to how you will achieve this evil, because there are Muslims in every country in the world.
Therefore, and following the same line of thought, you would kill me and my family to achieve your nefarious goal. Canada doesn't have much of an arms force, so your takeover of my country should be fairly bloodless (except for all the people you want to kill - it's a long list). Everyone knows that American agents and their families are in every country in the world. They are there to start the inferno from the inside out until all of your enemies, and the unfortunate innocents who will also be murdered in the name of the United States of America will exist on the face of the earth no more.
You think I'm afraid of Muslims? God, no....spare me from self-righteous Americans who intend to colonize the world through fair means or foul.
Therefore, and following the same line of thought, you would kill me and my family to achieve your nefarious goal. Canada doesn't have much of an arms force, so your takeover of my country should be fairly bloodless (except for all the people you want to kill - it's a long list). Everyone knows that American agents and their families are in every country in the world. They are there to start the inferno from the inside out until all of your enemies, and the unfortunate innocents who will also be murdered in the name of the United States of America will exist on the face of the earth no more.
You think I'm afraid of Muslims? God, no....spare me from self-righteous Americans who intend to colonize the world through fair means or foul.
11-07-2009 12:34
JEAN wrote:
FORT HOOD SHOOTING
When Obama gave a speech at a Native American meeting, he first thanked the people for coming. Then he gave a "shoutout" to a man whom he said had won the "Congressional Medal of Honor" (It was the Medal of Freedom, which Obama had himself awarded the man)
Then, as an afterthought, this man, supposedly the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, mentioned the killings at Fort Hood.
His actions shout much louder than his words.
Then, as an afterthought, this man, supposedly the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, mentioned the killings at Fort Hood.
His actions shout much louder than his words.
11-07-2009 09:23
wrote:
I say over and over, lets see if Muslims come out of their Mosques to condemn such attacks. One news source has said he shouted in essence: "Allah is great!" Time will prove if that was accurate. If so, it will certainly reinforce our concerns about the Muslim religion.
11-07-2009 09:22
wrote:
Oh, so Christianity is just a "hearsay" Religion???? Sure coulda fooled me!!!
11-07-2009 00:05
Verhoeven wrote:
Wrote who knew not hearsay
Deism has a lot to offer you! It also has a lot to offer society! Deism is belief in God based on the application of our reason on the designs/laws found throughout Nature. The designs presuppose a Designer. Deism is therefore a natural religion and is not a "revealed" religion. It is the religion that inspired the founding of our Republic making us the first nation to free itself from Theocracy.
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