US Army: Fort Hood Gunman in Custody After 12 Killed, 31 Injured in Rampage
By A Khokar • Nov 7th, 2009 • Category: Politics • 21 CommentsFort Hood Texas: A US Army psychiatrist who reportedly feared an impending war deployment in Afghanistan is in custody as the sole suspect in a shooting rampage at Armored Training Centre, Fort Hood in Texas that left 12 dead and 31 wounded, an Army official said Thursday night.
The gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, first said to have been killed, was wounded but alive in a hospital under military guard, said Lt. Gen. Bob Cone at Fort Hood. He was shot four times, and was on a ventilator and unconscious, according to military officials. “I would say his death is not imminent,” Cone said.
Two other soldiers who were taken into custody for questioning were later released, Cone said. A female first responder who shot at Hasan also survived, contrary to earlier reports that she had died.
The rampage was believed to be the deadliest at a U.S. military base in history.
Soldiers rushed to treat their injured colleagues by ripping their uniforms into makeshift bandages. Officials have not ruled out the possibility that some casualties may have been victims of “friendly fire,” shot by authorities amid the mayhem and confusion at the scene, said a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters that were under investigation.
Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison said generals at Fort Hood told her that Hasan, a Virginia native and a Muslim, was about to deploy overseas. Retired Col. Terry Lee, who said he had worked with Hasan, told Fox News he was being sent to Afghanistan.
Lee said Hasan had hoped Obama would pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq and got into frequent arguments with others in the military who supported the wars.
Before Thursday’s shooting, Hasan reportedly gave away all of his furniture along with copies of the Koran to neighbours, KXXV-TV reported.
Video from the scene showed police patrolling the area with handguns and rifles, ducking behind buildings for cover. Sirens could be heard wailing while a woman’s voice on a public-address system urged people to take cover.
“I was confused and just shocked,” said Spc. Jerry Richard, 27, who works at the centre but was not on duty during the shooting. “Overseas you are ready for it. But here you can’t even defend yourself.”
Soldiers at Fort Hood don’t carry weapons unless they are doing training exercises.
Federal law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that Hasan had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed homicide bombings and other threats. The officials said they are still trying to confirm that he was the author.
One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates homicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.
“To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause,” said the Internet posting. “Scholars have paralled (sic) this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers.”
They say an official investigation was not opened.
Hasan was working with soldiers at Darnall Army Medical Centre on Fort Hood after being transferred in July from Walter Reed Army Medical Centre, where he had worked for six years before recently receiving a poor review.
Cone said the shooter used two guns, including a semi-automatic weapon. He added there was no indication they were military weapons.
The shooting took place 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the post’s Soldier Readiness Center, where soldiers undergo medical screening before being deployed or after returning from overseas.
“We have a terrible, tragic situation here,” said Cone. “Soldiers, family members and the civilians that work here are absolutely devastated.”
Cone said the injuries “vary significantly” among the victims wounded in the shooting.
The shooter’s cousin, Nader Hasan, told Fox News that their family is in shock.
“We are trying to make sense of all this,” Nader Hasan said. “He wasn’t even someone who enjoyed going to the firing range.”
He said his cousin, who was born and raised in Virginia and graduated from Virginia Tech University, turned against the wars after hearing the stories of those who came back from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Nader Hasan said his cousin, who was raised a Muslim, wanted to go into the military against his parent’s wishes — but was taunted by others after the terror attacks of Sept. 11.
A former neighbor of Hasan’s in Silver Spring, Md., told Fox News he lived there for two years with his brother and had the word “Allah” on the door.
She said the FBI interviewed her Thursday afternoon, adding she used to see a woman and a 3-year-old girl coming and going.
Authorities provided little information Thursday about the victims of the rampage at Fort Hood.
George Stratton’s son, George Stratton III, was five feet away from the shooter at the Soldier Readiness Center and suffered a gunshot wound to his left shoulder.
“He said he was there doing medical stuff and all of a sudden someone came through the door, walked behind the desk and just started shooting,” Stratton told FoxNews.com.
He said about 15 rounds went off and people started dropping to the floor.
“He peaked up over the desk and that’s when he was shot in the shoulder, and he just went down again. He said he saw one of his NCOs get badly shot,” Stratton told FoxNews.com after talking to his son in the hospital. “After he got shot he told me, ‘Dad, I got up, held my arm and took off running.’”
Stratton said his son was expected to be deployed to Afghanistan in January after going to basic training exactly a year ago.
“It’s pretty hard to believe something like this happened,” Stratton told FoxNews.com. “I think he’s probably had his fill of war already.”
President Obama called the shooting a “horrific outburst of violence” on members of the nation’s armed forces. “It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an army base on American soil,” he said
President Obama said his thoughts and prayers are with the wounded and families of the fallen.
A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations said they don’t know anything about Hasan, and condemned the shooting at Fort Hood.
The group issued a statement calling the shooting as a “cowardly attack.” They say no political or religious ideology could ever justify or excuse such violence.
The base and area schools were on lockdown after the mass shooting, and all those on the Army post were asked to gather for a head count, thought the lockdown was lifted Thursday night.
Covering 339 square miles, Fort Hood is the largest active duty armored post in the United States. Home to about 52,000 troops as of earlier this year, the sprawling base is located halfway between Austin and Waco.
Townhall.com
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Fort Hood Quick Facts
A 340 square mile installation (217,337 acres), Fort Hood is the only Cantonment post in the United States capable of stationing and training two Armored Divisions.
The rolling, semiarid terrain is ideal for multifaceted training and testing of military units and individuals. Fort Hood is “The Army’s Premier Installation to train and deploy heavy forces.”
In addition to the 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood is also residence for Headquarters Command III Corps, 3d Signal Brigade, 3d Air Support Operations Group, 13th Corps Support Command (COSCOM), 13th Finance Group, 21st CAV Brigade (Air Combat), 89th Military Police Brigade, 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, the Dental Activity (DENTAC), the Medical Support Activity (MEDDAC), U.S. Army Operational Test Command (USAOTC), and various other units and tenant organizations.
A Brief History
Fort Hood was named for the famous Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood, an outstanding leader who gained recognition during the Civil War as the commander of Hood’s Texas Brigade.
The original site was selected in 1941, and construction of South Camp Hood began in 1942. North Camp Hood, located 17 miles to the north, was established shortly after the first land acquisition and the founding of the cantonment area.
South Camp Hood was designated as Fort Hood, a permanent installation, in 1951.
North Camp Hood became North Fort Hood and what is now West Fort Hood was formerly a U.S. Air Force Base. Both the airfield and the base were run by the U.S. Air Force from 1947 to 1952.
From 1952 to 1969, the facilities were run by the U.S. Army under the Defense Atomic Support Agency. It became part of Fort Hood in 1969.
Location
Fort Hood is adjacent to Killeen , Texas in the beautiful “hill and lake” country of the Great State of Texas.
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Loyalty to Muslim Umma becomes more important than LOYALTY to your country.He has joined American military and taken oath of loyalty to his country. It is common knowledge america supports ISRAEL. If he didnot like it or American invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan, then he should have resigned.But he chose to kill his fellow brotheren. He has also shouted Allaho akbar before opening fire at his brother officers.
HE WAS NEVER DEPLOYED OVERSEAS and this is his FIRST POSTING OVERSEAS.
I don’t think that this is a matter of loyalty of that person with his country or otherwise. How violent and heinous it may be that he did wrong and killed few of the in scripts of Afghan war being sent out as war fodders. If he survives he will certainly be court marshalled and sentenced to death—-but this was a show of his sentiment that how disgusting he feels like many millions more even in America about the devilish design of oppressor—-USA that he knew it very well—- being a Physiatrist that what devastation and fatality will be casted by these troops being sent out on excursion to Afghanistan.
They were in any case not being sent out on a leisure trip or on a good will visit; they were being sent to play havoc with the lives of defenceless peoples out there.
I feel so sorry of this incident.
His surveillance tape released.
youtube.com/watch?v=aOeXzamxSk8
He’s wearing shalwar qameez. He’s obviously under some sort of Pakistani influence.
His surveillance tape released.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOeXzamxSk8
He’s wearing shalwar qameez. He’s obviously under some sort of Pakistani influence.
Mental,Psychopath educated but Illitrate Muslim.
Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6521758/Fort-Hood-shooting-Texas-army-killer-linked-to-September-11-terrorists.html
[...] US Army: Fort Hood Gunman in Custody After 12 Killed, 31 Injured … [...]
@5
He is born in America have some roots with Jews-Arab culture.
Raised in US educational institute
Trained psychiatrist in US army institutes.
He was working as counsel er in US army.
This is is the same type of counseling which they give to OUR ISI and taliban men in pakistani camps.
so he practically demonstrated what US gave him training.
Actually this is as per my experience and observation that such kind of extremists psychiatrists are hired by army institutions for developing abnormal techniques and philosophy to train the typical mind set people in barracks.
Our army is also have some sample some are left on TPS too to control people as per their abnormal philosphy and in this set up these are fired by normal civilians.
The man is a convert from Virginia.
After conversion to Islam it certainly brings a person nearer to the culture of Middle East and it is but unavoidable not to know in and outs of the politics of the area and then it reveals to all the converts in real sense that how the western forces are exercising their evil designs and are manipulating the politics to keep the peoples and Muslim countries subjugated———in order to keep a full control—- not on the religion of Islam that they may be fearful of it spread or just to grab the lands for heck of it but—— for the mineral and economic resources found in these lands that western economies and their trades run on it.
If the tomatoes and cucumber was the only export from Iraq; no sane person may think that —–Gulf wars later converted to the ‘war on Terror’ that it has engulfed the entire region and now even has set the entire Pakistan on fire for its subjugation——-would have ever taken place?
War on Terror is said to be mega US design——–a licence to exterminate every one who so ever is thought to be not abetting the sweet will of US camps and their designs–is a subject to be eliminated. The show goes on.
@Nazia:
“so he practically demonstrated what US gave him training.”
Actually if you care to read the articles I posted you will find that he was radicalised through his mosque. The same mosque where two of the 9/11 hijackers went. There is a clear pattern here..one that you will never find as you are deliberately avoiding it.
Umair,
When you talk of Mosque it means that you are pin pointing the religion of –Islam also. You must know and know it for certain that Mosques are the centre set for the prayers and teaching of Islamic virtues. The mosque of Islam may never teach or may get involve in the business of radicalizing the believers. Mosque may lead you to the path of truth and truth only—— and tells you that truth is which always keeps you afloat.
Mosques may not make you leftist, militant or mutineer———–or say nihilist or for that matter a rebel or a renegade.
But the flaw that I think lies where the patrons after having come to know the truth of matter of life and chaos found on the international scenarios that how the oppressing forces are trying to subjugate the defenseless destitute for fulfilling their rapacious greed. Rather than joining some Tehrik and be part of it and strive to spread the message of truth and invite other people also to come forward and join them—and become a potent force which may turn to be strong enough that it is able to move the mountains.
But some of the lunatics, they try to use a short cut and take the matter in their own hands; thinking that they may be able to make some difference—where by they bring the bad name to the religion of God and their own creed also.
Equally so all the other religions like Christianity, Judah and yet other older religion like Hindu etc are also maintaining the very potent radical organizations and huge Salvation Armies but most of the time they are seen lying low——-running their businesses through charitable works——–with the mottoes: Run Deep; Run Silent
Umair
911 was a extremely high tech and long term planning kind of terrorism.It couldn’t be executed through brain washing of cleric while sitting in mosques.
If somehow we believe that he was broken chain of 911 then what kind of intelligence exists in USA which destroyed three countries in suspicion of accomplices of 911 and couldn’t get the traces of extremism within their own facility.
Hear carefully that man has got high level psychiatry courses for counseling war soldiers for last 7 years.
US has decided to link all evil happening in US to 911 incidents.
They proved to be carrier of poor intelligence with high security breach in case of 911and even 7 years of destruction couldn’t trace its real master minders
Nazia,
The man thought that he could probably make some difference while pursuing his personal sentiments to some how put a stop to the influx of troops being sent out to Afghanistan that more troops as I said earlier—- their going out there is certainly not to any good but they will add to playing havoc in the lives of peoples out there……..
His lunatic action is just like a suicide action to cause destruction and hindrance. How much he has been able to make difference in the surge of troops—— the time may tell but he would certainly prove to make a dent to the policy—- in offing in Obama offices that Obama is yet to give out a new American strategy policy about Afghanistan.
@ 10 it is so naive of you to think that clergy while sitting in mosque had planned 9 11 attack.You have made it sound so simple just visit a mosque and become companions of 9 11 hijackers!!!! especially when u said the same mosque lol
Muslims are adding to the distrust of the American lawmakers and it’s idiots like Nidal who are ruining the image of Muslims in America.
There are many Muslims born and brought up in the US, who do not have links to their Muslim background ad really don’t care about it, they are born in a free world and love to lead that life- unfortunately they are dragged into this too.
I have Pakistani friends here in the US and they bitch about the “Zinna” and the short clothes and he Muslim girls with Jewish boyfriends. This is America live with it.
If you don’t like it go back I tell them, but they want to live here, enjoy the freedom and the benefits of this country and still hate it.
These kind of people must not be allowed immigration to the states, they ruin it for the rest of us.
A proper psychological evaluation must be done of Arabs and Pakistanis in their immigration interviews.
YES, I am going to receive a looong list of negative comments, but try seeing it from our angle in the US and you will see, one day we are happy, second day living in fear or being questioned about the deranged Muslim.
No one questions the school shootings but one Mentally unstable Muslim send shivers down America.
I say let us live in peace.
@ those who think all those things don’t happen in the mosques and are naive- please don’t assume hat you haven’t seen with your own eyes.
We see it all here.
@Nazia & other
He got his Doctrate in Psychatrist. He was not a counselor but a Doctor. He was suppose to treat the Patients.Why MOST of these ACTS are being performed by Muslims? Why So many Suicide Bombers in Pakistan? Muslims countries Specially Pakistan needs to check what the MULLAH’s are PREACHING in their MOSQUE.. What is a Education LEVEL of these MULLAH’s> Only reciting Quran SHOULD not make them an IMAM. WHAT kind of Knowledge they are conveying to Illitrate people. Do not blame every thing on OTHERS look in your own backyard.
dear Abdul Momin and Friends,
There are some 6.796 Billions people living on this planet Earth and Muslims are just 21% about 1.5 Billions. Owing to the majority of non-believers of Islam in the world; this can be said that this world belongs to Non- Muslims where Christians are about 33% and Hindus are 14% of total population. There is quite a big number—- some 16% people that they do not have any religion at all. (Source: Wikipedia.)
Muslim may be right in their claim that they are the true believers and custodian of the last book of all the religions—- Glorious Quran and that people must hearken to join them and come forward to see that what God Almighty has got in store for them that Muslims they posses.
But apparently the general conduct of leaderless Muslim world as whole has failed to comprehend that what is at stake and what is that big game of God Almighty in this World. If God wanted then the entire mankind would have been his true believers (like angles) but choice to believe in Him has entirely been left to the common man. Acceptance or rejection of God is the sole prerogative of the individual. He or she may not be forced by any one to accept or asked to mend their way of life that he or she is leading—-because: God says; there is no compulsion in religion.
No Mullah or individual may force any one to take the God‘s job in his hand; neither are they made responsible of it. Even our Rasool e Karim (pbuh) was rather told in strong word by God Almighty that he is just supposed to deliver the God Message only.
Any one whether he is believers or is non believers they are all answerable to God and it is left to God Almighty that ‘He guides whom He pleases to the right path’.
Quran very distinctively declares that that Muslims are not the only creed that they will be rewarded with (Jannah)Heaven in the hereafter. God says in Glorious Quran [2:62]: “Surely, the Believers, and the Jews, and the Christians and the Sabians — whichever party from among these truly believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good deeds — shall have their reward with their Lord, and no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.”
# 17
In Second last Para; Please amend to read:
No Mullah or individual may take the God‘s job in their hand and force any one to mend their ways; neither are they made responsible of it.
Thanks
@16
He was on different assignment and latest was as counselor.His cousin narrated this in almost all US news channel.
A cousin, Nader Hasan, told The New York Times that after counseling soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder, Hasan knew the scars of war well.
He is born and brought up in US environment through out his life what ever extremism he showed is resultant of pure US environment.
Such people have not a single Idea about life and extremism in Pakistan where mostly criminals belong to illiterate and deprived class
So let the garbage of US toward their side.
It is not first incident of this kind where well educated and US groom citizen did such indiscriminate firing on their colleagues.For the last 5 year I think dozens of such incident have been done so far where the area of disturbance were university , high school, religious monastery, army base and even shopping malls too.
So let Americans to take responsibility of their deadly faults which even turn the educated man of civil society to act like a terminator of this system.
Hi A.Khokar,
You have been preaching your brand of argument without answering.We all know as well as whole world knows America went for Iraq oil. It supports the state of ISRAEL from its inception.But as an american soldier or even as an American citizen you should know it. During 9/11 3000 Americans got killed.If america went to war on those Taliban , it is duty of every American citizen to support that war even if it is against Holy land of Saudi arabia or Shia land of Iran. There is no morality involved here. If he is against war or even unholy war, he should resign and fight his battles as per american constitution. If he is still not satisfied, he had another option of going to his country of origin which is palestine. But killing american brother soldiers for the CAUSE OF PURE ALLAH OR ISLAM (HIGHER DUTY MAY BE ACCORDING TO YOU)is plain wrong. What do you say to the tale of the following suicide bomber.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD-Nny3EP98
Is the above suicide bomber correct in his views as taught in his madrassa?