Fort Hood Shooter: Major Nidal Hasan Faces 13 Counts of Murder

Major Nidal Hasan, 39 years old, was the only suspect charged in the killing of 13 of his army comrades on November 5, 2009. The murders occurred at the processing center at Fort Hood, Killean Texas, where returning soldiers and those being deployed to and from combat overseas were completing paperwork. Hasan was scheduled to be tried in the military legal system, and if convicted his eligible for the death penalty, or at the very least life in prison. Executions in the military, although a legal punishment on the books, are rare.

In announcing the charges, Chris Grey of the Army Criminal Investigation Command said “We are aggressively following every possible lead, and indicated that there may be additional charges filed. Grey further stated “We have a duty and obligation to protect the constitutional rights of everyone involved”

According to the Associated Press (AP) officials indicated before the press conference, that no decisions has been made with regards to charging the accused with a 14th count of murder, relating from the death of an unborn child, of a one of the 13 murdered .

John Galligan, Hasan’s civilian attorney, according to Fox News, advised that his co-counsel in the military was concerned that the authorities were reading charges to the accused even without an attorney being present. It is reported that Galligan further stated “I don’t like it. I feel like I’m being left out of the loop” “I guess it’s 13 charges, but I don’t like to guess in this situation.”

Hasan an American-born was reported to be a devout Muslim. He was reportedly shot several times during the rampage, and is currently being guarded at a San Antonio hospital in Texas. He was originally in a coma, but it has been reported that he awoke earlier this week, and is speaking with his doctors and attorney.

The authorities accuse Hasan of firing about 100 rounds at fellow soldiers in the processing center at the time of the attack. At the end of the rampage, 13 lay dead, and 30 wounded, including the accused, and one of the two officers who confronted, and shot him, to bring the rampage to an end.

Hasan’s motives in committing the crimes are being investigated. Many reports have surfaced linking him with terrorists groups, emails found on his computer, arguments he has had with comrades, and a presentation he made espousing terrorist ideologies. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has reportedly admitted that they were aware of the emails Hasan sent overseas to another terror suspect, but thought the messages were benign. Other comrades have reported him to the higher authorities, but due to political correctness, and fear of upsetting the Muslim community, 13 people died and a 14th died in the womb without seeing the light of day.

Major Hasan was also reportedly upset because he was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan at the end of November. He reportedly protested the deployment, but his protests were unsuccessful.

The investigations have begun. Congress, the FBI, the army, and others will be investigating different aspects of the case. It is left to be seen how this case will turn out in the end for Major Hasan, and those who witnessed, overheard and knew of the emails and did nothing.