BREAKING: SHOOTING AT FORT HOOD

[hongi]

He's awake and able to talk.

SAN ANTONIO – A U.S. Army hospital spokesman says the man suspected in a deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, is conscious and able to talk.

Dewey Mitchell, a spokesman at Brooke Army Medical Center, says Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan remains in stable condition. Mitchell says Hasan has been awake and able to talk since he was taken off a ventilator Saturday.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Sounds like Hasan was a terrorist wannabe.

U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal 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.

It is not known whether the intelligence agencies informed the Army that one of its officers was seeking to connect with suspected al Qaeda figures, the officials said.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) said the CIA had, so far, refused to brief the intelligence committees on what, if any, knowledge they had about Hasan's efforts.

CIA director Leon Panetta and the Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, have been asked by Congress "to preserve" all documents and intelligence files that relate to Hasan, according to the lawmaker.

Hoekstra said he is "absolutely furious" that the house intel committee has been refused an intelligence briefing by the DNI or CIA on Hasan's attempt to reach out to al Qaeda, as first reported by ABC News.

Investigators want to know if Hasan maintained contact with a radical mosque leader from Virginia, Anwar al Awlaki, who now lives in Yemen and runs a web site that promotes jihad around the world against the U.S.

More at the link. God DAMN but if this is true its going to make it a lot harder to be a muslim in the US.

[The Grim Squeaker]

Sounds like Hasan was a terrorist wannabe.

U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal 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.

It is not known whether the intelligence agencies informed the Army that one of its officers was seeking to connect with suspected al Qaeda figures, the officials said.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) said the CIA had, so far, refused to brief the intelligence committees on what, if any, knowledge they had about Hasan's efforts.

CIA director Leon Panetta and the Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, have been asked by Congress "to preserve" all documents and intelligence files that relate to Hasan, according to the lawmaker.

Hoekstra said he is "absolutely furious" that the house intel committee has been refused an intelligence briefing by the DNI or CIA on Hasan's attempt to reach out to al Qaeda, as first reported by ABC News.

Investigators want to know if Hasan maintained contact with a radical mosque leader from Virginia, Anwar al Awlaki, who now lives in Yemen and runs a web site that promotes jihad around the world against the U.S.

Wow, if they didn't inform them, well, whatever happened to "Each hand doesn't have a clue what the other's doing" problem that allowed 9/11?
How hard is it to inform a base "Say, one of your officers is meeting radicals, keep an eye on him in case he starts to crack".

More at the link. God DAMN but if this is true its going to make it a lot harder to be a muslim in the US.

As opposed to after 9/11? .

[Broomstick]

9/11 of course made life more difficult for Muslims, but a lot of people were willing to see it as an aberration of sorts, holding to the idea that most Muslims were not that sort of violent terrorist.

If, however, we keep having episodes of terrorism or murder connected to Muslims then it begins to form a pattern that will indeed make life ever harder for all Muslims, not just the radicalized ones.

[hongi]

By most accounts this guy is a devout Muslim. But he also goes to a strip club and drinks beer? Didn't the 9/11 hijackers do the same thing?

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan came into the Starz strip club not far from the base at least three times in the past month, the club's general manager, Matthew Jones, told FoxNews.com. Army investigators building their case against Hasan plan to interview Jones soon.

It's quite interesting to see how the Muslim community is reacting to this. Most of course have come out condemning the actions, no ifs or buts. But some are pointing to his alleged discrimination, the associated PTSD he might have gotten from his patients and all that sort of bullshit to say that 'hey look, maybe it wasn't a religious attack after all'. Then the info filters in about how he had contacts with terrorists, had extremist views and got into debates in his mosque about American foreign policy...I wonder what they'll come up with.

[ArmorPierce]

I don't know. Is it terrorism if he targeted military targets and was selective with who he killed? Is it normally considered terrorism if you target civillians?

[KrauserKrauser]

I would think this is easily covered in the Military Justice code and he will likely be charged with some variety of treason or some such which means death penalty should be on the table.

Also I would be surprised if he goes near a courtroom for this. Keeping it within the military justice system seems like the best course of action.

[Ritterin Sophia]

I don't know. Is it terrorism if he targeted military targets and was selective with who he killed? Is it normally considered terrorism if you target civillians?

Just FYI there are a shit load of civilian contractors on a military base.

[The Spartan]

I don't know. Is it terrorism if he targeted military targets and was selective with who he killed? Is it normally considered terrorism if you target civillians?

This would more probably fall under terrorism. This is a generalization but a military attack would attempt to have a military outcome, i.e. to move a military force from a position, to draw out an attack, etc., etc. Terrorism on the other hand attempts to force a political outcome through the use of fear on a populace, which is what it sounds like he might have been trying to do.

The realities are more nuanced that that, but I think it gives you the gist.

[ArmorPierce]

I don't know. Is it terrorism if he targeted military targets and was selective with who he killed? Is it normally considered terrorism if you target civillians?

Just FYI there are a shit load of civilian contractors on a military base.

As he methodically moved around the room, he spared some people while firing on others several times. He seemed to discriminate among his targets, though it is unclear why. All but one of the dead were soldiers.

“Our witnesses said he made eye contact with a guy and then moved to somebody in uniform,” said Representative K. Michael Conaway, Republican of Texas.

[Darth Yan]

even though hasan's scum, you kind of have to pity him. and the way that douchebags like Robert Spencer are using it to say that all muslims are bad makes me want to puke.

[KrauserKrauser]

What is there to pity? Because he decided to kill a bunch of people instead of going AWOL and potentially face prison time?

His choices for not being deployed were not ??? and KillKILLKIILLLLLL!!!!

He's a fucking lunatic and I won't shed a tear for him when the USCMJ hangs him as a traitor.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Don't use acronyms you don't understand. That means Uniformed Services Code of Military Justice, and a book of laws doesn't string a guy up. It does prescribe the punishment, though. Pity it won't be by firing squad, I'd like to see an execution done in the old fashion one last time. Mind you, there's never anyone more perfectly deserving of murder. This fellow has the same sympathies as Benedict Arnold, but he was so pathetic that he couldn't even succeed in actually committing treason, so he had to settle for wandering around with a gun one day. "Loser" comes to mind as a good and appropriate description for someone who even fails at committing treason.

[KrauserKrauser]

I know what it means. I used it as the USCMJ has different procedures, punishments, etc. than a civilian court and as such has different punishments available.

Any court martial is going to follow the USCMJ and as such I was using that as the code he will be judged against.

The book of laws used is significantly different from the normally understood code of laws in America and deserves distinction.

[Rogue 9]

It's the Onion, but damned if that isn't true.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

I know what it means. I used it as the USCMJ has different procedures, punishments, etc. than a civilian court and as such has different punishments available.

Any court martial is going to follow the USCMJ and as such I was using that as the code he will be judged against.

The book of laws used is significantly different from the normally understood code of laws in America and deserves distinction.

Duh.

And I also know this. The point was that you made it sound like the USCMJ was an organization, which is not factual, and I wanted to provide a correction for those people (who are honestly probably going to be the majority) who read this thread and have never heard the acronym before. It's no big deal, but I wanted to make the note.

[Adrian Laguna]

This fellow has the same sympathies as Benedict Arnold, but he was so pathetic that he couldn't even succeed in actually committing treason, so he had to settle for wandering around with a gun one day. "Loser" comes to mind as a good and appropriate description for someone who even fails at committing treason.

Hey, hey, don't you compare a random lunatic with a gun to a war hero and brilliant commander who had good reasons to be bitter and disillusioned with the Continental Congress.

[Razorgeist]

Has it been explained why exactly no action was taken against him beforehand if there were warning signs?