There have been several developments regarding the Fort Hood Massacre.
The Army has charged Major Nidal Hasan with 13 counts of premeditated murder. Hasan can get the death penalty if he is convicted.
There is some concern from doctors at his last post that Hasan is psychotic. Of course mental illness does not translate into legal insanity, necessarily.
According to Fox News:
President Obama has ordered a review of all intelligence related to Fort Hood shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, and whether the information was properly shared and acted upon within government agencies.
The review will be overseen by John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. The first results are due to the White House by Nov. 30.
Obama also ordered the preservation of the intelligence. Members of Congress, particularly Michigan Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, have called for a full examination of what agencies knew about Hasan’s contacts with a radical imam and others of concern to the U.S., and what they did with the information
Good for President Obama. It is time to put sunshine and transparency on who know what when. Sadly, regardless of what is discovered, Hasan is not the only one. The time frame seems reasonable also.
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This will be interesting. The military hasn’t prosecuted a death penalty case in quite a while, IIRC. Meanwhile, Hasan’s lawyer, is, I hear, quite good. I’ve heard more than one commentator today express concern that, like OJ, there’s more than a small possibility this guy could walk away scott-free. I don’t even want to let that thought enter my head.
I think I heard there had been one person put to death in 1961. Could that be right?
He could walk if he is found legally insane, I think I heard also.
Too bad he can’t be turned over to Paul Ebert.
What is going under-reported is that 2 regular cops were heroes of the day also. Sgt Todd actually brought Hasan down. Sgt Kim Munley was wounded for her efforts.
These 2 were just ordinary cops doing their ordinary jobs.
I do not think Hasan will get away scot free (nor he should he). However I hope that his entire situation exposes the military/FBI to scrutiny. The military needs to examine their procedures with how to deal with soilders that self-radicalize whether they be pro-muslim or rabidly anti-muslim ( the marine who attacked a Greek orthodox priest in FLA). Additionally, the FBI needs to figure out WHY they didn’t take von Brunn’s internet rantings seriously, and WHY they failed to do a thing (other than observe) when Hasan contacted islamic radicals, and posted pro-suicide bomber praises in his own name.
Totally agree DB. I think a lot of explanations needed. I thought (not really) that the FBI, CIA, and other federal agencies had been jacked up after 9-11.
The idea that one agencies software won’t talk to another’s is about as lame an excuse as I have ever heard. FIX IT! This is 2009. If we can put man on the moon using computers 40 years ago we can have one agency talk to another about some freak of nature killer.