Investigators Probe Suspected Fort Hood Shooter
From the first hours after the shooting at Fort Hood last week, investigators have been trying to learn what happened, and why. So far, it looks less and less likely that the man accused in the shootings, Maj. Nidal Hasan, had any connections to a larger terrorist plot.
STEVE INSKEEP, host:
Its MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Im Steve Inskeep.
Investigators want to clarify what happened last week at Fort Hood, Texas and they also want to know why. The answer, if its anywhere at all, may belong to a suspect who is inside a hospital, now, having survived his own injuries. NPRs Dina Temple-Raston is covering the case of Major Nidal Hasan.
Dina, good morning.
DINA TEMPLE-RASTON: Good morning.
INSKEEP: And whats the latest?
TEMPLE-RASTON: Well, this weekend the accused shooter, Major Hasan was taken off a respirator, and law enforcement officials are telling NPR that hes been coming in and out of consciousness and hes made some attempts to talk. And still, hes in no condition to be interviewed and ultimately, thats what investigators are hoping for, to actually talk to him about what happened.
INSKEEP: So until he talks, people have to rely on the statements of those who know him, or knew him, and I suppose one theory here is whether he had some kind of extremist views.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Yes, exactly. I mean the FBI has been focused on trying to figure out if Hasan actually acted with others, although it doesnt look like he did.
And one official told me that these kind of jihadist connections that theyre looking for, if they had actually been there, they would have found them by now. They have his computer, they have his neighbors computer, and they havent found any of those kinds of connections. And officials said, as a general matter, when youve look for these kinds of connections, they pop up really quickly. So the fact that they havent, they think, is meaningful.
INSKEEP: Meaning that they can rule out that this was a terrorist attack or at least connected to a terrorist group?
TEMPLE-RASTON: Well, not yet. Until investigators can establish a motive, they say that terrorism is going to stay on the table. You know, one possibility investigators are looking into is that Major Hasan may have believed in his own mind that he was carrying out some sort of jihad against America. I mean there have been some reports that he shouted Allahu akbar God is great, in Arabic -just before the shots were fired. But investigators told us they havent been able to confirm that.
And something else that came out is that he also apparently went to a mosque in Virginia where several of the 9/11 attackers attended. But right now, investigators are telling us theyre seeing that as more of a coincidence than something dispositive.
INSKEEP: So if youre an investigator, you look at his computer, you talk to people who know him, you wait for him to regain enough consciousness to make some kind of statement if he will. What else do investigators do?
TEMPLE-RASTON: Well, another explanation theyre pursuing is that Major Hasan simply broke under pressure. He was an army psychiatrist, as you know, and he was helping soldiers who were coping with the stress of war, and he may have taken on a lot of the anguish that they were feeling. Apparently, he was also harassed by other soldiers for being Muslim and he was about to be deployed, something that he told people he was really dreading. So theres the other possibility that the confluence of those events together had been too much for him to handle.
Though, I should say, that investigators say theyre seeing signs of premeditation, meaning that Major Hasan didnt just snap. The gun he allegedly bought for the shooting was a high-powered gun and could have penetrated bulletproof vests with the right kind of ammunition, although officials arent going to discuss what kind of ammunition was used in the shooting at this point.
And Major Hasan apparently sold all his furniture just days before the shooting. Now, he wasnt supposed to ship out for weeks, so investigators are looking into whether he sold all the furniture because he knew he wouldnt come back from this attack.
INSKEEP: Dina, thanks very much.
TEMPLE-RASTON: Youre welcome.
INSKEEP: Thats NPRs Dina Temple-Raston with the latest on the shooting and the investigation of that shooting at Fort Hood. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
