Hospital: Ft. Hood shooting suspect awake, talking

Published: Monday, Nov. 9, 2009 10:20 a.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 

FORT HOOD, Texas — The man accused of killing 13 people and wounding 29 at Fort Hood is able to talk, a hospital spokesman said Monday, but it's unknown when investigators might take advantage of his improving health to press forward with their probe into the shooting spree.

Authorities say Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan fired off more than 100 rounds Thursday before civilian police shot him in the torso. He was taken into custody and eventually moved to an Army hospital in San Antonio, where he was in stable condition and able to talk, said Dewey Mitchell, a Brooke Army Medical Center spokesman.

Authorities continue to refer to Hasan, 39, as the only suspect in the shootings, but they won't say when charges would be filed and have said they have not determined a motive. A spokesman for Army investigators did not immediately respond to calls and e-mails seeking comment Monday.

Sixteen victims remained hospitalized with gunshot wounds, and seven were in intensive care.

The personal Web site for a radical American imam living in Yemen who had contact with two 9/11 hijackers praised Hasan as a hero.

The posting Monday on the Web site for Anwar al Awlaki, who was a spiritual leader at two mosques where three 9/11 hijackers worshipped, said American Muslims who condemned the Fort Hood attack are hypocrites who have committed treason against their religion.

Story continues below

Awlaki said the only way a Muslim can justify serving in the U.S. military is if he intends to "follow in the footsteps of men like Nidal."

"Nidal Hassan is a hero," Awlaki said. "He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people."

Two U.S. intelligence officials told The Associated Press the Web site was Awlaki's. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence collection. Awlaki did not immediately respond to an attempt to contact him through the Web site.

Hasan's family attended the Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va., where Awlaki was preaching in 2001. Hasan's mother's funeral was held at the mosque on May 31, 2001, according to her obituary in the Roanoke Times newspaper, around the same time two 9/11 hijackers worshipped at the mosque and while Awlaki was preaching.

Awlaki is a native-born U.S. citizen who left the United States in 2002, eventually traveling to Yemen. He was released from a Yemeni jail last year and has since gone missing. He is on Yemen's most wanted militant list, according to three Yemeni security officials.

Recent comments

I agree with "@ I don't believe" - I'm sure the vast majority of U.S....

Voice of Reason | Nov. 9, 2009 at 5:40 p.m.

@Sarah Jane P. 10:24 a.m.:

"What if the God demanding that...

All Knowing | Nov. 9, 2009 at 2:27 p.m.

I served with may Moslims during my 29 year carrer in the military...

@ I don't believe | Nov. 9, 2009 at 12:48 p.m.

previousnext

Latest comments

Hall reprimanded by MWC

Congratulations to Max and the second place MWC finish. Good Luck on the...

Cougs begin bowl preparations

Please, Tina. You want a team with honor to play in your bowl. The Utes are...

Hall reprimanded by MWC

Reprimand or not, the score was still 26-23. Go BYU!!!

Utes won't respond to Hall

is class on and off the field, unlike Max Hall.

Hall reprimanded by MWC

POOR TENDERED FEELING HYPOCRITICAL UTES: You would be loving it if you had...

As for Max as a QB — he doesn’t seem to do well under real...

In an era of so-called political correctness and sensitivity, Hall shouldn't...

CTR .. choose to RANT .. typical BYU

I agree that sometimes animal experimentation is used too casually. But...

Letters: Hall is an embarrassment

12:14 p.m. This wasn't a "what if" scenario. You sound oblivious to the...

Advertisements