Fort Hood shooting update: 13 killed, 30 wounded, suspect is alive

UPDATED: 1:40 p.m.

Classmate: Hasan said terror fight a war on Islam

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A classmate of the Fort Hood shooting suspect says Maj. Nidal Hasan was an outspoken opponent of the U.S. war on terror and called it a "war against Islam."

Dr. Val Finnell was a classmate of Hasan's at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. Both attended a master's in public health program in 2007 and 2008.

Finnell says he got to know Hasan in an environmental health class. At the end of the class, students gave presentations.

Finnell says other classmates wrote on subjects such as dry cleaning chemicals and mold in homes, but Hasan's topic was whether the war against terror was "a war against Islam." Finnell described Hasan as a "vociferous opponent" of the terror war.

Finnell says Hasan told classmates he was "a Muslim first and an American second."

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

Casey: Fort Hood rampage was a 'kick in the gut'

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- Army Chief of Staff George Casey has asked Army leaders across the country to review force protection measures after the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, left 13 people dead.

Casey described the shooting as a "kick in the gut" for not just Fort Hood but for the entire Army.

Casey spoke to reporters at a news conference Friday afternoon at Fort Hood. He says he's encouraged by the stories of heroism and courage that have emerged the day after the attack.

He cited a young private who was sitting in his pickup in parking lot and heard gunfire. Casey says the private went to the scene, pulled out four wounded and drove the hospital.

Manager: Muslim sticker removed from suspect's car

KILLEEN, Texas (AP) -- An apartment complex manager says the man accused of opening fire at Fort Hood, Texas recently had a religious bumper sticker torn off his car.

The manager, John Thompson, says a fellow soldier allegedly keyed Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's car and ripped up the bumper sticker. Thompson says the soldier had been to Iraq and was upset to learn Hasan was Muslim.

Thompson, who manages the Killeen, Texas complex where Hasan lives, says the bumper sticker read: "Allah is Love." In Arabic, Allah means God.

A report filed on Aug. 16 with Killeen police says Hasan's car had been scratched causing $1,000 worth of damage. The report says an Army employee had been arrested. It didn't provide more details about what happened.   

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Army: Shooting suspect was bound for Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An Army spokeswoman says the suspect in the Fort Hood shootings had been scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan to counsel soldiers suffering from combat stress.

Army spokeswoman Col. Cathy Abbott says Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an active-duty military psychiatrist, 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.

Authorities say Hasan went on a shooting spree Thursday at the Texas Army post, leaving 13 people dead and 30 wounded. 

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Spokesman says Obama to attend Fort Hood memorial

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama will attend memorial service for those killed at Thursday's mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Friday said a service will be scheduled at the convenience of the families who lost loved ones during one of the largest mass shooting on a military base. Gibbs says a service has not yet been scheduled.

Thirteen people were killed and 30 others injured in the shooting rampage at the Texas Army post on Thursday. The suspected shooter is an Army psychiatrist; his motive remains unclear.

Gibbs said that a memorial service is keeping Obama's schedule next week in flux. Obama is scheduled to leave for Asia on Wednesday.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

Moment of silence set Friday for Fort Hood victims

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has declared a moment of silence for U.S. military forces worldwide as a show of respect for the Fort Hood victims.

The moment of silence is planned for 2:34 p.m. EST Friday -- exactly 24 hours after the shooting in Texas. All U.S. forces worldwide are being asked to participate in the show of respect.

A spokesman says Gates has no immediate plans to travel to Fort Hood.

Army Chief of Staff George Casey and Army Secretary John McHugh arrived at the base Friday.

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AP Sources: Investigators seize suspect's computer

WASHINGTON -- Federal authorities have seized the suspected Fort Hood shooter's computer and are looking for clues that may have led to the military massacre on Thursday that left 13 people dead and 30 wounded.

A U.S. law enforcement official said that Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's apartment in Killeen, Texas, was searched early Friday. It was not immediately known if FBI agents found anything suspicious on Hasan's computer files. A military official said investigators also are sifting through materials Hasan carried with him during the shooting incident and evidence left in his vehicle, which was found parked at the base.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

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FORT HOOD, Texas -- The top commander at Fort Hood is crediting a civilian police officer for stopping the shooting rampage that killed 13 people at the Texas post.

Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said Friday morning that Sgt. Kimberly Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire Thursday afternoon. Cone said Munley shot the gunman four times despite being shot herself.

Military officials said Munley was in stable condition Friday.

Cone said, "It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer."

Cone also said he was inspired by a woman who helped carry a wounded victim and used her blouse as a tourniquet, then realized she'd been shot in the hip.

The suspected gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, is hospitalized on a ventilator.

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Army: Suspect said `Allahu Akbar!' before shooting

FORT HOOD, Texas -- The base commander at Fort Hood says soldiers who witnessed a shooting rampage that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at the Texas post.

Lt. Gen. Robert Cone told NBC's "Today" show on Friday that suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, made the comment, which is Arabic for "God is great!" before the rampage Thursday that also left 30 people wounded.

Military officials say they are still piecing together what may have pushed Hasan, an Army psychiatrist trained to help soldiers in distress, to turn on his comrades.

Cone says Hasan was not known to be a threat or risk.

Hasan was shot four times during the rampage. Cone says he is hospitalized in stable condition and that military officials will interrogate him as soon as possible.

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FORT HOOD, Texas -- A military official says one more person has died after being injured during a shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas.

Post spokesman Tyler Broadway said early Friday that the toll now stands at 13 dead and 30 wounded. Late Thursday, officials said 12 people had been killed and 31 wounded in the afternoon attack.

The victims' identities haven't been released.

The suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was on a ventilator and unconscious in a hospital late Thursday. The Army psychiatrist was shot four times after the rampage began around 1:30 p.m.

The motive for the shootings isn't clear, but Hasan was apparently set to deploy soon. He also had expressed some anger about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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WASHINGTON -- The office of a Texas congressman says two soldiers who were taken into custody following a deadly rampage at Fort Hood have been released.

A spokesman for Rep. John Carter says Fort Hood officials informed Carter's office of the release. Carter's congressional district includes the Army post.

A soldier opened fire at Fort Hood on Thursday, killing 12 people and wounding 31 others. Authorities wounded the gunman.

Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Haug said a third person was in custody, however.

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FORT HOOD, Texas -- A U.S. Army spokesman says the Fort Hood shootings suspect is alive and was not killed by authorities responding to the attack.

Lt. Gen. Bob Cone also says the death toll from the attack remains 12 after another victim died.

Authorities said immediately after Thursday's attack that they had killed the suspected shooter. But Cone now says the suspected shooter is alive and stable condition.

Cone offered little explanation to reporters at a news conference as to why the suspect was believed dead, saying only there was confusion at the hospital.

***

FORT HOOD, Texas -- One soldier at Fort Hood says troops are constantly ready for battle while deployed, but can't defend themselves while on post.

The Army says a mental health doctor opened fire at a medical screening center, killing at least eleven others and wounding 31 others. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was killed.

It was unclear what the motive was, though it appeared Hasan he was upset about a scheduled deployment. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says military officials told her the Army major was about to deployed overseas.

Retired Army Col. Terry Lee told Fox News that he worked with Hasan, who had hoped President Barack Obama would pull troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq. Lee said Hasan got into frequent arguments about the wars, and had tried hard to prevent his pending deployment.

Military officials say Hasan, a psychiatrist, had received a poor performance evaluation while at working at the Army's Walter Reed hospital in Washington.

The Army says two soldiers taken into custody were released because they were not involved. A third person remains in custody.

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WASHINGTON -- Federal law enforcement officials say the suspected Fort Hood, Texas, shooter had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats.

The officials say the postings appeared to have been made by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who was killed during the shooting incident that left least 11 others dead and 31 wounded. The officials say they are still trying to confirm that he was the author. They say an official investigation was not opened.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates suicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.

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FORT HOOD, Texas -- A Fort Hood spokeswoman says one shooter is in custody after a mass shooting on the Texas Army base. Army officials say at least seven people are dead and 20 wounded.

Fort Hood spokeswoman Sgt. Rebekah Lampan says authorities believe at least two gunmen were involved in the attack on Thursday.

She says it is not known whether the shooters were soldiers or civilians.

Lt. Col. Nathan Banks, an Army spokesman in Washington, says there was a pair of shootings at the base.

Banks says the first shooting was at 1:30 p.m. and at personnel and medical processing office. He says the second incident took place at a theater on the base.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)