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Born in [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington]], [[Virginia]], Hasan is a [[Muslim]] American of [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] descent. His parents had emigrated to the US from the occupied [[Palestinian territories]]. His family has claimed that he was a peaceful person and a "good American."<ref name="NYDailyNews" /> Some sources have reported that Hasan vocally opposed US military involvement against Muslims, and spoke in support of suicide bombing and armed resistance to American forces. John P. Galligan, U.S. Army Colonel ret., is representing Hasan.<ref name="AUTOREF" />
Born in [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington]], [[Virginia]], Hasan is a [[Muslim]] American of [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] descent. His parents had emigrated to the US from the occupied [[Palestinian territories]]. His family has claimed that he was a peaceful person and a "good American."<ref name="NYDailyNews" /> Some sources have reported that Hasan vocally opposed US military involvement against Muslims, and spoke in support of suicide bombing and armed resistance to American forces. John P. Galligan, U.S. Army Colonel ret., is representing Hasan.<ref name="AUTOREF" />

Hasan had attended the [[Dar al-Hijrah]] mosque in [[Falls Church, Virginia|Falls Church]], [[Virginia]], in 2001, at the same time as [[Nawaf al-Hazmi]] and [[Hani Hanjour]], two of the [[September 11 attacks|September 11 hijackers]].<ref name="Telegraph 2" /><ref name="NYT 6" /> However, it is not known if Hasan ever encountered them.<ref name="AUTOREF1">[http://www.knx1070.com/pages/5626076.php? "Hasan's Computer Reveals No Terror Ties," ''[[KNX (AM)|KNX 1070]]'', November 9, 2009]</ref>


Hasan had come to the attention of United States intelligence authorities, through electronic intercepts, at least six months before the attacks because of Internet postings he allegedly made "discussing [[suicide bombings]]<ref name="L.A.Times 2" /> and other threats."<ref name="AP 4" /> In July 2009 he had been transferred to [[Fort Hood, Texas|Fort Hood]], [[Texas]], from Washington's [[Walter Reed Medical Center]].<ref name="CNN" />
Hasan had come to the attention of United States intelligence authorities, through electronic intercepts, at least six months before the attacks because of Internet postings he allegedly made "discussing [[suicide bombings]]<ref name="L.A.Times 2" /> and other threats."<ref name="AP 4" /> In July 2009 he had been transferred to [[Fort Hood, Texas|Fort Hood]], [[Texas]], from Washington's [[Walter Reed Medical Center]].<ref name="CNN" />

Revision as of 06:14, 11 November 2009

Nidal Malik Hasan, MD
Hasan in 2007
Service/branchUnited States Army
Medical Corps[1]
Years of service1988–present
RankMajor
Unit

Major Nidal Malik Hasan, MD (born September 8, 1970)[1] is a U.S. Army psychiatrist who is the only publicly identified suspect in the 2009 Fort Hood shootings. Authorities have not reached a conclusion concerning Hasan's motive.

Born in Arlington, Virginia, Hasan is a Muslim American of Palestinian descent. His parents had emigrated to the US from the occupied Palestinian territories. His family has claimed that he was a peaceful person and a "good American."[2] Some sources have reported that Hasan vocally opposed US military involvement against Muslims, and spoke in support of suicide bombing and armed resistance to American forces. John P. Galligan, U.S. Army Colonel ret., is representing Hasan.[3]

Hasan had come to the attention of United States intelligence authorities, through electronic intercepts, at least six months before the attacks because of Internet postings he allegedly made "discussing suicide bombings[4] and other threats."[5] In July 2009 he had been transferred to Fort Hood, Texas, from Washington's Walter Reed Medical Center.[6]

Following the shooting, Hasan was hospitalized, initially on a ventilator, under heavy guard. On November 9, he was conscious and speaking to medical staff at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.[7][8]

Biography

Early life

Hasan described himself as being of Palestinian descent.[9] His parents emigrated to the United States from al-Bireh, a city in the West Bank territory north of Jerusalem, where his grandfather Ismail Mustafa Hamad still lives.[10][11][12]

He was born in Arlington, Virginia,[13] and raised in Virginia. Hasan was the oldest child of three boys. All of them helped in the family's restaurant in Roanoke, Virginia.

Hasan attended Wakefield High School for a year in Arlington, Virginia,[14] but primarily attended William Fleming High School in Roanoke.[15]

According to some sources, Hasan is single with no children.[16][17] However, David Cook, a former neighbor, said two sons were living with Hasan around 1997, and they attended local schools. Cook said, "As far as I know, he was a single father. I never saw a wife."[9] According to military records, Hasan was unmarried.[18]

His brothers attended colleges and professional schools. His brother Anas is a lawyer who now lives in Ramallah, the administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority near Jerusalem in the West Bank. Eyad, his other brother, graduated from George Mason University and lives in Northern Virginia. He is a human resources officer for a research firm in Virginia.[19]

Higher education, military service, and medical career

Slide 49/50 of The Koranic World View As It Relates to Muslims in the U.S. Military, a presentation made by Hasan during a symposium of U.S. Army physicians at Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Hasan joined the Army immediately after high school, and served eight years as an enlisted soldier while attending college. Hasan graduated from Virginia Tech in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry, and went on to medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.[20] After earning his medical degree (M.D.) in 2001, he completed his residency in psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.[21] In 2009, he completed a fellowship in Disaster and Preventive Psychiatry at the Center for Traumatic Stress.[22]

Hasan was promoted from Captain to Major in May 2009.[22][23] Before being transferred to Fort Hood in July 2009, Hasan had received a poor performance evaluation.[5] While an intern at Walter Reed, he received counseling and extra supervision.[24]

According to the Washington Post, Hasan made a presentation titled The Koranic World View As It Relates to Muslims in the U.S. Military during his senior year of residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The presentation, which was not well received by some of the attendees, recommended that the Department of Defense "should allow Muslims [sic] Soldiers the option of being released as "Conscientious objectors" to increase troop morale and decrease adverse events."[25][26]

Hasan's cousin claimed that Hasan had been harassed by his army colleagues because of his Middle Eastern ethnicity. Said the cousin, "He was dealing with some harassment from his military colleagues. I don’t think he’s ever been disenchanted with the military. It was the harassment. He hired a military attorney to try to have the issue resolved, pay back the government, to get out of the military. He was at the end of trying everything."[27] Hasan's aunt, Noel Hasan of Falls Church, Virginia, corroborated his cousin's account, stating that Hasan sought discharge because of harassment relating to his Islamic faith.[28] An army spokesman could not confirm the relatives' statements,[29] and the deputy director of American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs released a statement calling the reported harassment "inconsistent" with their records.[30]

Religious and ideological beliefs

Hasan had attended the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, in 2001, at the same time as Nawaf al-Hazmi and Hani Hanjour, two of the September 11 hijackers.[31][32] Anwar al-Awlaki an American-born scholar now living in Yemen was the imam there in 2001, while a third hijacker attended his services while in California, and has apparently issued a statement in support of the shootings. The imam was a spiritual adviser to the hijackers, and Hasan has been reported to have deep respect for al-Awlaki's teachings.[33] Awlaki has been called[by whom?] "one of the principal jihadi luminaries for would-be homegrown terrorists," and Awlaki's lecture on "Constants on the Path of Jihad" is similar to an Al Qaeda document[clarification needed], and is a "bible for lone-wolf Muslim extremists."[34] After the attack, Awlaki praised Hasan for the shooting; on his personal website, he encouraged other Muslims serving in the military to "follow in the footsteps of men like Nidal."[35] Awlaki teaches at Iman University headed by Abdul Majeed al-Zindani who has been designated "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" by the US Treasury Department. Zindani also appears on the UN 1267 Committee's list[36] of individuals belonging to or associated with al-Qaeda.

Hasan had come to the attention of federal authorities at least six months before the attacks because of internet postings he appeared to have made discussing suicide bombings and other threats, though authorities at the time had not definitively attributed the postings.[4][5] The postings, made in the name "NidalHasan," likened a suicide bomber to a soldier who throws himself on a grenade to save his colleagues and sacrifices his life for a "more noble cause."[4] No official investigation was opened.[5]

According to retired Colonel Terry Lee, "He said 'maybe Muslims should stand up and fight against the aggressor'. At first we thought he meant help the armed forces, but apparently that wasn't the case. Other times he would make comments we shouldn't be in the war in the first place."[37]

During a psychiatry fellowship at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Air Force Lt. Col. Dr. Val Finnell, a medical school classmate said that while other students' projects focused on topics such as water contamination, Hasan's project dealt with the "whether the war on terror is a war against Islam."[4] Faizul Khan, the former imam of a mosque in Silver Spring, Maryland, where Hasan prayed several times a week, said he was "a reserved guy with a nice personality. We discussed religious matters. He was a fairly devout Muslim."[9]

ABC News has reported that U.S. officials were aware that Hasan had attempted to contact Al Qaeda.[38] Also according to ABC News Hasan had "more unexplained connections to people being tracked by the FBI" than just radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.[39]

According to one of his cousins, Hasan was a practicing Muslim who had become more devout after the deaths of his parents in 1998 and 2001.[11] However, his cousin did not recall him ever expressing any radical or anti-American views.[11]

Fort Hood shooting

First responders transport a U.S. soldier that was wounded in the Fort Hood shooting
Main article: Fort Hood shooting

Hasan gave away furniture from his home on the morning of the shooting, saying he was going to be deployed on Friday. He also handed out copies of the Quran.[40] He was to be deployed to Afghanistan, contrary to earlier reports that he was to go to Iraq,[41] on November 28. According to Jeff Sadoski, spokesperson of U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, "Hasan was upset about his deployment".[42] Hasan's cousin, Nader Hasan, a lawyer in Fairfax, Virginia, said that Nidal Hasan turned against the wars after hearing the stories of those who came back from Afghanistan and Iraq.[43] Noel Hamad said, however, that the family did not know he was being sent to Afghanistan. "He didn't tell us he was going to deploy," she said.[44]

Kamran Pasha wrote about an account from a Muslim officer at Fort Hood who says that he prayed with Hasan on the day of the Fort Hood shooting, and that Hasan "appeared relaxed and not in any way troubled or nervous". This officer believed that the shootings may be been motivated by religious radicalism.[45]

Retrospective analysis

A military activist, Selena Coppa, said: "This man was a psychiatrist and was working with other psychiatrists every day and they failed to notice how deeply disturbed someone right in their midst was."[46]

Hasan's alleged extremist beliefs were apparently a cause for concern among some of his peers. While at USUHS, Hasan was disciplined for "proselytizing about his Muslim faith with patients and colleagues"[47] as well as for an incident in which a lecture, expected to be of a medical nature, became a diatribe against "infidels." Army doctor Val Finnell complained to superiors about Hasan's statements. Finnell said, "The system is not doing what it's supposed to do. He at least should have been confronted about these beliefs, told to cease and desist, and to shape up or ship out."[46]Lt. Finnell has stated further beliefs as to why no action had been taken on the warning signs: "The issue here is that there's a political correctness climate in the military. They don't want to say anything because it would be considered questioning somebody's religious belief, or they're afraid of an equal opportunity lawsuit".[28]

Post-shooting

Hasan was placed under guard in Brooke Army Medical Center's intensive care unit, and his condition was described as "stable".[48] News reports on the morning of November 7, 2009, indicated that Hasan was in a coma;[49] he was taken off a ventilator on the 7th.[50]

On November 9, Brooke Army Medical Center spokesman Dewey Mitchell announced that Hasan had regained consciousness, and been able to talk since he was taken off the ventilator on November 7.[51] According to the Associated Press, officials plan to charge him in a military court.[52]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d McKinley, Jr., James C. (November 8, 2009). "Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Mcauliff, Michael (November 6, 2009). "Fort Hood killer Nidal Malik Hasan opposed wars, so why did he snap?". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 10, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Roupenian, Elisa, "Retired Colonel to Defend Accused Fort Hood Shooter: Accused Shooter Nidal Hasan Awake and Talking to Hospital Staff," ABC News, November 9, 2009, accessed November 10, 2009
  4. ^ a b c d Drogin, Bob (November 7, 2007). "Retracing steps of suspected Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 7, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c d Jakes, Lara (November 5, 2009). "Authorities had concerns about suspect". Associated Press. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "Neighbors: Alleged Fort Hood gunman emptied apartment". Fort Hood, Texas: CNN. November 6, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Carlton, Jeff (November 6, 2009). "Ft. Hood suspect reportedly shouted `Allahu Akbar'". Associated Press. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Terrorism or Tragic Shooting? Analysts Divided on Fort Hood Massacre". Fox News. November 7, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2009. The authorities have not ruled out terrorism in the shooting, but they said the preliminary evidence suggests that it wasn't. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  9. ^ a b c "A Helper With Worries of His Own". Wall Street Journal. November 6, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  10. ^ Friedman, Emily (November 6, 2009). "Army Doctor Nidal Malik Hasan Allegedly Kills 13 at Fort Hood". ABC News. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b c Dao, James (November 5, 2009). "Suspect Was 'Mortified' About Deployment". New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  12. ^ Lewis, Ori, "U.S. Army gunman's act "impossible"—grandfather," Reuters, November 7, 2009, accessed November 9, 2009
  13. ^ "Hood shooting suspect was set to deploy". Military Times. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  14. ^ "Maj. Nidal M. Hasan", Washington Post, November 7, 2009, accessed November 10, 2009
  15. ^ Hammack, Laurence (November 7, 2009). "Fort Hood shooting suspect Hasan left few impressions in schools he attended". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved November 7, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Twelve dead, 31 wounded in Fort Hood shootings". Stars and Stripes. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  17. ^ "Major named as Fort Hood shooter". Military Times. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  18. ^ Mcfadden, Robert D. (November 6, 2009). "Suspect Was to Be Sent to Afghanistan". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  19. ^ McKinley, Jr., James C, and Dao, James, "Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage," New York Times, November 9, 2009
  20. ^ Blackledge, Brett J. (November 6, 2009). "Details emerge about Fort Hood suspect's history". Associated Press. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ "License for Nidal Malik Hasan, MD". Virginia Board of Education. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  22. ^ a b "Twelve Soldiers Killed". ABC. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ "Army releases May officer promotions". Military Times. April 22, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  24. ^ Gearan, Anne (November 6, 2009). "Army: Shooting suspect was bound for Afghanistan". Boston Globe. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  25. ^ Priest, Dana (November 10, 2009). "Fort Hood suspect warned of threats within the ranks". Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2009. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  26. ^ Hasan, Nidal. "Hasan on Islam". Washington Post. Retrieved November 10, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ "Fort Hood has enough victims already". Guardian. November 6, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  28. ^ a b Fort Hood Suspect Warned of Muslim Threat Within Military Cite error: The named reference "Fox 3" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  29. ^ "Aunt: Fort Hood shooting suspect asked for discharge". The Washington Post. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  30. ^ "Muslim Veterans Group Says No Reports of Harassment of Islamic Soldiers". Fox News. November 6, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists, The Telegraph, November 7, 2009 Cite error: The named reference "Telegraph 2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  32. ^ Alleged Shooter Tied to Mosque of 9 / 11 Hijackers, The New York Times, November 8, 2009
  33. ^ Sherwell, Philip (November 7, 2009). "Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 10, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ Meyer, Josh (November 9, 2009). "Fort Hood shooting suspect's ties to mosque investigated". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
  35. ^ Hess, Pamela and Sullivan, Eileen, "Radical imam praises alleged Fort Hood shooter," Associated Press, November 9, 2009, accessed November 10, 2009
  36. ^ UN 1267 Committee banned entity list
  37. ^ "Fort Hood Shooter Feared Impending War Deployment". Fox News. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ Esposito, Richard, Cole, Matthew, and Ross, Brian, "Officials: U.S. Army Told of Hasan's Contacts with al Qaeda; Army Major in Fort Hood Massacre Used 'Electronic Means' to Connect with Terrorists," ABC News, November 9, 2009, accessed November 10, 2009
  39. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/official-nidal-hasan-unexplained-connections/story?id=9048590
  40. ^ "Who is Maj. Milik Hasan?". KXXV. November 6, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  41. ^ Barnes, Julian (November 6, 2009). "Fort Hood victims bound for Dover Air Force Base". KFSM, LA Times. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  42. ^ Newman, Maria (November 5, 2009). "12 Dead, 31 Wounded in Base Shootings". The New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  43. ^ "Sources Identify Major as Gunman in Deadly Shooting Rampage at Fort Hood". Fox News. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  44. ^ "Military: Fort Hood suspect is alive". USA Today. November 5, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  45. ^ "A Muslim Soldier's View from Fort Hood". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2009-11-9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  46. ^ a b Allen, Nick, "Fort Hood gunman had told US military colleagues that infidels should have their throats cut," The Telegraph, November 8, 2009, retrieved November 9, 2009
  47. ^ Whitelaw, Kevin (November 6, 2009). "Massacre Leaves 13 Dead At Fort Hood". NPR. Retrieved November 8, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  48. ^ "Hospital: Fort Hood suspect moved to San Antonio". Associated Press. November 6, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  49. ^ "Ft. Hood shooting suspect endured work pressure and ethnic taunts, his uncle says". Los Angeles Times. November 7, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  50. ^ "Army: Shooting suspect is critical, but stable". KXXV. November 8, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
  51. ^ Hospital: Ft. Hood shooting suspect awake, talking
  52. ^ Brown, Angela (November 9, 2009). "Hospital: Ft. Hood shooting suspect awake, talking". Retrieved November 9, 2009.

External links

Template:AmericanSpreeShootings2009

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