Nov 6, 2009 2:30 pm US/Eastern
Fort Hood Suspect Is Psychiatrist With Md. Ties
FORT HOOD, Texas (WJZ/AP) ―
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Officials say a shooting suspect at Fort Hood has been identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who they say was an Army mental health professional.
CBS
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Soldiers from 3rd Brigade "Grey Wolf" 1st Cavalry division from Fort Hood Texas get ready to return to the US after finishing their tour in Iraq at Warhorse base in Baquba, Diyala province, 27 November 2007.
Gianluigi Guercia/Getty Images
It's believed to be the worst mass shooting in history on a U.S. military base.
Jessica Kartalija reports 13 people are dead after a military psychiatrist is believed to have opened fire on fellow service members. At least 30 others were wounded.
It happened at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas.
WJZ has learned the suspect has Maryland ties.
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has been hospitalized and is on a ventilator. Investigators hope to question him as soon as possible. In the
early chaos after the shootings, authorities believed they had killed him, only to discover later that he had survived.
Officials say Internet postings about suicide attacks appeared to have been made by Hasan, although they are still trying to confirm that Hasan was the author. Investigators are not ruling out the possibility of a terrorist attack.
"It's 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," said President Barack Obama.
A Maryland imam at the mosque attended by Hasan says the Army psychiatrist never seemed to be an extremist.
Imam Faizul Khan says he knew Hasan for more than 10 years. They first met at the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring.
Kahn says Hasan was quiet and reserved. They mostly discussed religious matters, but Khan says Hasan never seemed controversial. They rarely discussed politics.
Kahn says they spoke often about how Hasan wanted to find a wife.
On a form filled out by those seeking spouses through a program at the mosque, Kahn says Hasan listed his birthplace as Arlington, Va., but his nationality as Palestinian. Khan says he doesn't know why because Hasan wasn't born in Palestine.
The Virginia-born soldier was single with no children. He graduated from Virginia Tech University, where he was a member of the ROTC and earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 1997.
For six years before reporting for duty at Fort Hood in July, Hasan worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center pursuing a career in psychiatry, as an intern, a resident and, last year, a fellow in disaster and preventive psychiatry. The 39-year-old Army major received his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., in 2001.
But his record wasn't sterling. At Walter Reed, he received a poor performance evaluation, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly. And while he was an intern, Hasan had some "difficulties" that required counseling and extra supervision, said Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time.
As Fort Hood in Texas was locked down following the deadly shooting rampage, security at Maryland military bases was high.
Security was tightened at Fort Meade Army base in Anne Arundel County and Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County.
"We are very much aware of it. We are in contact with other Army agencies and activities to make sure we're all talking to each other and we know what's going on," said George Mercer, Aberdeen Proving Ground Public Affairs.
Authorities at Fort Meade say they are praying for the victims in Thursday's massacre.
"Let me give my condolences to those who are affected by what happened at Fort Hood. We are a large Army family, and the effects of that are felt here. And our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and service members who are affected by this tragedy," said Chad Jones, Ft. Meade Public Affairs.
The motive for the shooting wasn't clear, but Hasan was apparently set to deploy soon and had expressed some anger about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
An Army spokeswoman says Hasan had been scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan to counsel soldiers suffering from combat stress.
Army spokeswoman Hasan was to deploy with an Army Reserve unit that provides what the military calls "behavioral health" counseling.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Hasan sought the assignment or was being sent against his wishes.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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