US major shoots dead 13 and injures 31 in gun rampage at Texas army base

[mc_squared]

Fort Hood shooting: Muslim army major Nidal Malik Hasan kills 13 and injures 31 in gun rampage at U.S. military base


By David Gardner
Last updated at 9:46 AM on 06th November 2009

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• Gunman named as army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan
• Muslim major was fervently opposed to War on Terror
• Was due to be deployed to Iraq at end of year - but did not want to go
• Had treated hundreds of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan

An army psychiatrist shot dead 13 people and wounded at least 31 others after going on a murderous rampage at America's biggest military base.
Major Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, armed himself with two handguns to carry out the massacre at Fort Hood in Texas.
The devout Muslim was eventually brought down by a female first responder who was herself wounded in the exchange of gunfire.
Hasan, who was furious about U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, is now in a stable condition in hospital.


Rampage: Video footage shows Major Nidal Malik Hasan shopping at a 7-11 store just outside Fort Hood, Texas, hours before he shot 13 people dead


Purchase: The army psychiatrist is dressed in traditional Muslim clothes


Caught on camera: He appears to be grinning as he leaves the store





Witnesses described complete carnage as the officer entered the Soldier Readiness Facility, where troops prepare for deployment overseas, and opened fire at around 1.30pm yesterday.
George Stratton described how his son George Stratton III was just five feet from the gunman and dived behind a desk to escape a hail of bullets.
'Around 15 rounds went off an people started dropping to the floor,' he said. 'My son peeked up over the desk and that was when he got shot.
'He said he saw one of the NCOs get badly shot. He told me "Dad, I got up, held my arm and took off runnning."'

First reports said Hasan had been killed but early this morning it was revealed that he had been wounded and was in a stable condition on a ventilator.
'I would say his death is not imminent,' Lt. Gen. Bob Cone at Fort Hood said.

Lt Gen Cone said the shooting broke out at 1.30pm at the Soldier Readiness Centre.
Hasan was wounded in a shootout with troops after he had gunned down dozens of soliders

Soldiers rushed to treat their injured colleagues by ripping their uniforms into makeshift bandages.
The mayhem and terror at the scene was so great that officials have not ruled out the possibility that some casualties may have been victims of 'friendly fire', shot by authorities amid the confusion, said a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Hasan is a psychiatrist employed at Fort Hood to counsel troops returning from active duty. He was due to be deployed to Iraq at the end of the year.

The shooting happened at a Soldier Readiness Facility on Fort Hood an area where servicemen leaving or returning from war duty are processed.
Army colleagues said Hasan, who is single and had no children, had fervently expressed his opposition to the war.

Retired Colonel Terry Lee who worked with the major said: 'He was so outspoken I once said to him, "Look, you got to cool it".

'He was reacting with open glee at the death of some soldiers by a suicide bomber. I told him, "You might not agree with this but this is the army and we are here to serve the country.'
Mr Lee said Hasan repeatedly stated: 'Muslims should rise up against the aggressors.'


Monica Cain, 44, breaks down in tears as she tries to contact her husband Sgt. Darren Cain who is stationed at Fort Hood



Sergeant Anthony Sills, right, comforts his wife at the Fort Hood army base where three U.S. soldiers opened fire




A swat team enters the main gate soon after the mass shooting






'He was very much against that and he was appealing through the channels for the deployment to be cancelled,' Mr Lee said.
Hasan's cousin Nader Hasan claimed the major was being harassed by his military colleagues because of his Middle Eastern background.

He added that the senior soldier, who is a Muslim, had recently been told he was being deployed to Iraq - news that represented his own 'worst nightmare'.

I can't tell you why it happened,' Nader Hasan told Fox News. 'He's been making those requests (not to be deployed) since 9/11. He's been in military since right out of high school.

'Both his parents are American and I just want to make sure everyone understands he is a good American and we are shocked.'

As an army psychiatrist, Hasan helped counsel countless traumatised soldiers returning from Iraq. 'He deals with stories, he'd tell us how he would hear things, horrific things,' his cousin added.
'But even before hearing things from the war, what was affecting him psychologically (was that) he was dealing with some harassment with some of his military colleagues to the extent that he hired a military attorney to try to have the issue resolved, pay back the Government to get out of the military.'

'It was the harassment that got to him, him being referenced from his Middle Eastern ethnicity even though was born and raised here, went to high school here in North Virginia.. went to Virginia Tech and never been in any trouble, just normal and played sports.'
Military records indicate that Major Hasan had never served abroad and listed 'no religious preference' on his personnel entry.






President Barack Obama says his prayers and thoughts are with the wounded and the families of the fallen






Emergency personnel carry a wounded person on a stretcher to an awaiting ambulance
Last night the FBI was assisting the military with the investigation into one of America's worst killings at an army base. Two soldiers who were apprehended as suspects were later released.
President Barack Obama described the incident as a ‘horrific outburst of violence'.

‘These are men and women who have made a selfless and courageous decision to risk and at some times lose their lives to protect the rest of us.
‘It is difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an army base on American soil,’ he said.
Mr Obama said he didn’t yet know all the details, but promised the government would get ‘answers to every single question'.
Lt General Bob Cone said all of the fatalities and injuries happened in the 1.30pm shooting at the Soldier Readiness Centre.
'We have had a terrible tragedy. It’s stunning and the soldiers and families who work here are absolutely devastated.’

He said the victims were gunned down as they were at the centre where soldiers ‘preparing to deploy go for last-minute medical check-ups and dental treatment.’







George Stratton III and Amber Bahr (right) were both shot at Fort Hood

Lt General Cone said Hasan used two handguns in the attack. It was not clear if he had stopped to reload.



At the Soldier Readiness Centre, soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening - on average about 300-400 screened a day, said Sergeant Rebecca Lampam.
She said a graduation ceremony for soldiers who finished college courses while deployed was also going on in the auditorium at the time of the shooting.
One of the injured was 19-year-old Amber Bahr, who was shot in the stomach but remains in a stable condition. 'We know nothing, just that she was shot in the belly,' said her mother Lisa Pfund.

Covering 339 square miles, Fort Hood is the largest active duty armoured post in the world and home to about 52,000 troops.
The sprawling base, located halfway between Austin and Waco, was where Elvis Presley famously served part of his military service in the 1950s.
The base has lost more soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan than any other military facility.

Special forces soldiers at Fort Hood as they prepare for Iraq (file picture)


This map shows the location of Ford Hood in the US



Hospitals in the area were appealing for more blood last night to deal with the wounded.
Complaints have grown in recent years of the psychological damage suffered by soldiers on the base as a result of repeated tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The base has seen other violence in recent years. In September 2008, a 21-year-old 1st Cavalry Division soldier Jody Wirawan shot his lieutenant Robert Bartlett dead and then killed himself.
TROUBLING BACKGROUND OF NIDAL MALIK HASAN
There are many unknowns about Nidal Malik Hasan, the man authorities say is responsible for the worst mass killing on a US military base.

Most of all, his motive. But details of his life and mindset, emerging from official sources and personal acquaintances, are troubling.

For six years before reporting for duty at Fort Hood, Texas, in July, the 39-year-old Army major worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center pursuing his career in psychiatry, as an intern, a resident and, last year, a fellow in disaster and preventive psychiatry.



At the Soldier Readiness Centre, soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning from war undergo medical screening (file picture)
He received his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2001.

While an intern at Walter Reed, Hasan had some 'difficulties' that required counseling and extra supervision, said Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time.

Grieger said privacy laws prevented him from going into details but noted that the problems had to do with Hasan's interactions with patients.

BIGGEST MILITARY BASE IN THE WORLD
Named after a US Civil War general, Fort Hood has a 60-year history of military use and is home to thousands of soldiers.
The vast site in Texas covers an area of more than 200,000 acres (340 square miles) and is the only post in the United States capable of stationing and training two armoured divisions.
Set in rolling, semi-arid terrain, Fort Hood is located near Killeen.
There are 4,929 active duty officers and 45,414 enlisted army members based there.
A further 17,954 family members live on site.
Numerous sections are based at Fort Hood including cavalry divisions, air support operations, engineer brigades, artillery and surveillance.
Fort Hood was named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, who was regarded as an outstanding leader, gaining 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.
It was designated as Fort Hood, a permanent installation, in 1951.
North Camp Hood, located 17 miles to the north, was established shortly after the first land acquisition and was formerly a US Airforce base.
Both the airfield and the base were run by the air force from 1947 to 1952.
From 1952, the facilities were run by the US Army under the Defence Atomic Support Agency until they became part of Fort Hood in 1969.

He recalled Hasan as a 'mostly very quiet' person who never spoke ill of the military or his country.

'He swore an oath of loyalty to the military,' Grieger said. 'I didn't hear anything contrary to those oaths.'

But, more recently, federal agents grew suspicious.

At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of Internet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades.

They had not determined for certain whether Hasan is the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, said law enforcement officials.

One of the officials said that federal search warrants were being drawn up to authorize the seizure of Hasan's computer.
Retired Army Col. Terry Lee, who said he worked with Hasan, told Fox News that Hasan had hoped President Barack Obama would pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Lee said Hasan got into frequent arguments with others in the military who supported the wars, and had tried hard to prevent his pending deployment.

Hasan attended prayers regularly when he lived outside Washington, often in his Army uniform, said Faizul Khan, a former imam at a mosque Hasan attended in Silver Spring, Maryland. He said Hasan was a lifelong Muslim.

'I got the impression that he was a committed soldier,' Khan said. He spoke often with Hasan about Hasan's desire for a wife.

On a form filled out by those seeking spouses through a programme at the mosque, Hasan listed his birthplace as Arlington, Virginia, but his nationality as Palestinian, Khan said.

'I don't know why he listed Palestinian,' Khan said, 'He was not born in Palestine.'

Nothing stood out about Hasan as radical or extremist, Khan said.
'We hardly ever got to discussing politics,' Khan said. 'Mostly we were discussing religious matters, nothing too controversial, nothing like an extremist.'

Hasan earned his rank of major in April 2008, according to a July 2008 Army Times article.
He served eight years as an enlisted soldier. He also served in the Reserve Officer Training Corps as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech University. He received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry there in 1997.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...#ixzz0W4UpTwKW

[Saffire]

I think we need some gun control in the military.

EDIT: Funny how they're so reluctant to call this terrorism, when it clearly fits even their very-narrow definition of the word.

[Kite]

Surprise Surprise that the daily racist is using that fact that he was Muslim to try and say that all muslims are evil (again)

RIP

[mc_squared]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kite;3651774
Surprise Surprise that the daily racist is using that fact that he was Muslim to try and say that all muslims are evil (again)

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No they're not. However, it certainly won't come as a surprise if he is found to have been an extremist.

[Saffire]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kite;3651774
Surprise Surprise that the daily racist is using that fact that he was Muslim to try and say that all muslims are evil (again)

RIP

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I think it's fair to say their religion is evil.

I feel sorry for the shooter. He was clearly mentally oppressed by both religion and government. He couldn't just quit his job in the military after finding out he was going to be forced to go to Iraq. (otherwise he'd have to go to jail or get punished in some other way)

As a psychiatrist, his job was to make other soldiers feel good about killing people. And he probably had access to all sorts of state-sanctioned drugs.

So no, the only real surprise here is that this type of thing doesn't happen more often.

[coldplay_is_louve.]

It pissed me off that every news station just had to mention his religion. If he was like, a fuckin' Christian or something they wouldn't say anything.

[mc_squared]

Barack Obama calls for calm as Muslim community fears backlash over Fort Hood killings



By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:56 PM on 07th November 2009

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Barack Obama has tried to calm racial tensions in the US after the Muslim community voiced fears it would face a backlash from the Fort Hood killings.
The president's intervention follows two days after Muslim army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on colleagues at the military base in Texas, killing 13 and wounding 30.
Hundreds attended a candlelit vigil last night at Ford Hood, the country's largest army camp, while the investigation into the incident is continuing.
Major Hasan, 39, whose spree was stopped when he was shot four times by Police Sergeant Kimberley Munley, remains in a coma.



Enlarge Soldiers and their families staged a candle light vigil at Fort Hood last night

Mr Obama used his weekly radio and internet address to praise the heroism of those who ended Hasan's rampage and to reassure the nation of the quality of their training.
He spoke of their diversity in a move to calm any anti-Muslim backlash to the killings. Major Hasan was reported to have shouted 'Allahu Akbar', Arabic for 'God is Great', as he jumped on a desk and opened fire.
US president Barack Obama attempted to calm tensions today

Mr Obama said: 'They are Americans of every race, faith and station. They are Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers.
'They are descendants of immigrants and immigrants themselves. They reflect the diversity that makes this America. But what they share is a patriotism like no other.'

More...

• God is great: Last words of Fort Hood gunman before being shot by police heroine
• Fort Hood shootings: The psychological scars borne by soldiers at world's largest military base

Many Islamic leaders said the tragedy could post the sternest test for US Muslims since the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Muqtedar Khan, a progressive Muslim scholar who has advised the Government on foreign policy in Afghanistan, said: 'A lot of us work very hard for this country, to make America a better place.

'And this one nut like Major Hasan comes along, and in one crazy episode of a few seconds he undermines these years and years of hard work we are doing to make American Muslims part of the mainstream in the community.'

Enlarge Many were in tears at the vigil, including Specialist Sheldon Rabago, who attended with wife, Nancy, and son, Owen


The shootings have shocked the community at the US's largest military base

Hasan attended mosque daily and had an "Allah is Love" bumper sticker on his car. It has emerged he had posted online messages about suicide bombers and violence and was struggling with his impending deployment to Afghanistan.
The incident has prompted Muslim groups to issue statements condemning the killings as un-Islamic and praising the service of Muslim Americans in the US military.
Security was stepped up on Friday at mosques across the country. Increased police patrols were brought in and officers stood watch outside some mosques for the main weekly prayers.
At the Muslim Community Centre in Maryland which Hasan attended before moving to Fort Hood, Imam Mohamed Abdullahi urged worshippers Friday to tell their non-Muslim neighbours that Islam was not responsible for the deaths and advised them not to lose their tempers.
Hussam Ayloush, director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Southern California, said Muslim organisations had received dozens of death threats and abusive emails.
He said: 'This is one of those moments where we have to sit and pray that most Americans will come out stronger, more united, and more tolerant.'

Sheik Mohamed Abdullahi, Imam at the Muslim Community Centre which Major Hasan used to attend in Silver Spring, Maryland, has urged Muslims to let people know the shootings were un-Islamic


Enlarge Armed guards were on patrol at Fort Hood yesterday

Obama called for patience while officials tried to piece together what happened.
He said: 'We cannot fully know what leads a man to do such a thing. But what we do know is that our thoughts are with every one of the men and women who were injured at Fort Hood. Our thoughts are with all the families who've lost a loved one in this national tragedy.
He described the response as showing the best of America.
Mr Obama said: ''We saw soldiers and civilians alike rushing to aid fallen comrades, tearing off bullet-riddled clothes to treat the injured, using blouses as tourniquets, taking down the shooter even as they bore wounds themselves.
'We saw soldiers bringing to bear on our own soil the skills they had been trained to use abroad - skills that been honed through years of determined effort for one purpose and one purpose only: to protect and defend the United States of America.'
The president will attend a memorial service once it is set up.
Witnesses said Major Nidal Malik Hasan jumped on a desk and opened fire on colleagues

It has emerged that before the spree Major Hasan cleaned out his apartment, gave leftover broccoli to a neighbour and called another to thank him for his friendship, as though he was leaving for a posting abroad.
He worked as a psychiatrist helping soldiers who had returned from war but was reportedly unhappy at being lined up to be sent to Afghanistan himself.
Witnesses said Major Hasan stood on a desk and began firing after walking into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center where troops who are about to be deployed undergo medical screening.

Several who were not directly hit were struck by bullets ricocheting off the desks and tile floor.
Officials said he was stopped after two civilian police officers arrived on the scene and began a firefight with Hasan. Sergeant Munley has been hailed a heroine for shooting him despite being wounded in her legs.

Most of the survivors remain hospitalized and many are in intensive care.
Major Hasan was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, about 150 miles southwest of Fort Hood. Army officials gave no indication of his condition except that he was 'not able to converse'.
Investigators examined his computer, his home and his rubbish yesterday to search for a motive.
It was revealed yesterday that he had used an FN Five-Seven semi-automatic pistol which can fire armour-piercing bullets during the spree.
He had bought the weapon legally at a gun store close to Fort Hood in August and practiced at a nearby shooting range.
During the attack he also carried a Smith & Wesson .357-calibre revolver but it is not yet clear whether he used it.

It took soldiers seven hours to clear the medical centre where Major Hasan carried out the spree on Thursday



CCTV footage pictures Major Hasan shopping at a convenience store in traditional dress on the morning of the shooting

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...#ixzz0WCQPuiLs

[Saffire]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by coldplay_is_louve.;3655713
It pissed me off that every news station just had to mention his religion. If he was like, a fuckin' Christian or something they wouldn't say anything.

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Are you kidding me? His religion was clearly part of his motivation for killing these people.

If it was a Christian shouting, "Sinners repent!" as he blew away his victims, you'd be hearing the same thing.

The key distinction here isn't religion, it's the Government. Notice how nobody is calling this terrorism, when it clearly is. Notice how nobody is screaming for more GUN CONTROL! and BACKGROUND CHECKS! like they would if this had been a regular civilian shooting his co-workers.

If you work for the Government, you are treated as a different species. Civilians, on the other hand, are the scum. We immediately assume the worst about them.

[Saffire]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Obama
'They are Americans of every race, faith and station. They are Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers. They are descendants of immigrants and immigrants themselves. They reflect the diversity that makes this America. But what they share is a patriotism like no other.'

---

No they don't, you ineffectual lawyer-child.

Americans currently have less patriotism for their country than at any point in recent history, because every other month 50% of them are dragged kicking and screaming into another morass of kleptocratic bullshit you and the other 535 assholes on the Patomac come up with, and enforce using a bunch of brainless thugs who couldn't get real jobs who you refer to as our "finest" (police).

[mc_squared]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Saffire;3655787
Are you kidding me? His religion was clearly part of his motivation for killing these people.

If it was a Christian shouting, "Sinners repent!" as he blew away his victims, you'd be hearing the same thing.

The key distinction here isn't religion, it's the Government. Notice how nobody is calling this terrorism, when it clearly is. Notice how nobody is screaming for more GUN CONTROL! and BACKGROUND CHECKS! like they would if this had been a regular civilian shooting his co-workers.

If you work for the Government, you are treated as a different species. Civilians, on the other hand, are the scum. We immediately assume the worst about them.

---

Yes, what stands out more than anything is the clearly poor "vetting"/monitoring process. It appears that alarm bells should have been ringing months ago.

[Saffire]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mark
It appears that alarm bells should have been ringing months ago.

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Mark, this was amazingly prescient of you. Check out this newly-released article:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fort-h...ory?id=9030873

:

Quote:

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U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with al Qaeda, two American officials briefed on classified material in the case told ABC News.

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I'm going to say something about this that will probably tick a few people off, but I firmly believe it's the case: The US Government allowed this terror attack to happen in order to drum up support for their efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The polling data showed Americans were getting war-weary and sick of the excuses for sending tens of thousands more troops to the middle-east. So they needed something to happen.

[Saffire]

http://biggovernment.com/2009/11/10/...-love-of-guns/

Chicago Mayor Daley says this was the result of America's "love of guns".

[jenflor]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Saffire;3665415


I'm going to say something about this that will probably tick a few people off, but I firmly believe it's the case: The US Government allowed this terror attack to happen in order to drum up support for their efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The polling data showed Americans were getting war-weary and sick of the excuses for sending tens of thousands more troops to the middle-east. So they needed something to happen.

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Sorry, but how exactly does that "drum up support" for the war? I don't disagree with your argument that support for the war is low, but I just don't see how the senseless killing of soldiers would help build support for the war.

[Tnspieler1012]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by coldplay_is_louve.;3655713
It pissed me off that every news station just had to mention his religion. If he was like, a fuckin' Christian or something they wouldn't say anything.

---

The first few headlines (like on AOL) I saw went out of their way not to mention his religion. But it is clearly relevant to the event considering the things he said.

[Saffire]

A Muslim Al Qaeda sympathizer shoots and kills over a dozen troops on American soil?

You couldn't make this stuff up! It's perfect. It emphasizes to Americans that Al Qaeda is still dangerous, and we've got to "bring the fight to them". All the stuff Bush said, but Obama is afraid to say (for fear of appearing undeserving of his Nobel Peace award).

And they basically admitted to letting it happen. It's blatantly obvious.