US 'grieving' after army shooting

Friday, November 6, 2009

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Page last updated at 19:57 GMT, Friday, 6 November 2009

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by Biodun Iginla, BBC News

Barack Obama: "Friends, family and the entire nation are grieving"
US President Barack Obama has said the "entire nation" is grieving after a shooting that killed 13 people at a Texas army base.
He said he had ordered all flags at the White House and other Federal buildings to be flown at half mast until Veterans Day on 11 November.
Major Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, a US-born Muslim and army psychiatrist, opened fire at Fort Hood on Thursday.
He was due to be deployed soon to Afghanistan, a military official said.
Family members said Mr Hasan was strongly opposed to the deployment and had wanted to leave the army.
Mr Obama cautioned against "jumping to conclusions" and said the motives for the shooting were being investigated.
MAJOR NIDAL MALIK HASAN Born in US to Palestinian parents Joined the army and trained to be a psychiatrist Treated soldiers returning from combat zones Described as a devout Muslim Said to have been unhappy about imminent overseas deployment
Mardell: No clear motive Profile: Major Nidal Malik Hasan US media on Fort Hood shootings Fears for Muslims in US army "What we do know is that their families, friends and an entire nation are grieving right now for the valiant men and women who came under attack yesterday," he said on Friday.
He added that the order for flags on federal buildings to fly at half mast was a "modest tribute to those who lost their lives".
The chief of staff of the US Army - Gen George Casey - said the attack had been a "kick in the gut" for the entire army.
It began at about 1330 (1930 GMT) on Thursday at a personnel and medical centre at Fort Hood - the largest US military base in the world, home to about 40,000 troops.
The commander of the base, Lt Gen Robert Cone, told NBC News that, according to eyewitnesses, Mr Hasan had shouted the Arabic phrase "Allahu Akbar!" [God is great] before opening fire.
Mr Hasan was shot four times during the attack and is currently being treated in hospital under armed guard.
The policewoman who shot him first - named as Kimberly Munley, 34 - was among those wounded.
'Could have been worse'
A picture is beginning to emerge of the suspect, a psychiatrist who was transferred to the Texas base in July.
Reports suggested that he had been increasingly unhappy in the military and that his work at his previous post - Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC - had been the subject of concern.
SHOOTINGS AT FORT HOOD Shooting started at 1330 local time at Soldier Readiness Processing Center in Fort Hood, the world's largest US military base

Timeline: Fort Hood shootings Reaction: US base shootings In pictures: Fort Hood shootings His cousin told US media that Maj Hasan had been opposed to an imminent deployment overseas, describing it as his "worst nightmare".
He also said that Maj Hasan had been battling racial harassment because of his "Middle Eastern ethnicity".
A fellow Fort Hood soldier told the BBC that the incident could put pressure on Muslim American soldiers.
"It kind of puts a negative light on them and makes people distrust them because everybody is going to look at them [and think]: 'Well, you're probably going to pull something like this'," the soldier said. "And it's a sad fact that that will happen."
The New York Times said the FBI had been investigating internet postings by a man called Nidal Hasan that appeared to back suicide bombings - but said it was not clear whether it was the suspect.
Gen Cone said a graduation ceremony for a group of soldiers was taking place nearby at the time of the shooting.
"Thanks to the quick reaction of several soldiers, they were able to close off the doors to that auditorium where there were some 600 people inside," he said.
"As horrible as this was, I think it could have been much worse."
In an e-mail to the BBC, a US soldier stationed at the base described the venue as a large, open room where hundreds of soldiers were queuing up to get their pre-deployment checklists signed off.


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What are these?
E-mail this to a friend Printable version FORT HOOD SHOOTINGS
KEY STORIES US 'grieving' after army shooting Mardell blog: Senseless tragedy US media on shootings Gunman 'faced Afghan posting' In pictures: Fort Hood shootings Reaction: US base shootings
BACKGROUND Profile: Major Nidal Malik Hasan
Fears for Muslims in US army Timeline: Fort Hood shootings
VIDEO Colleague describes US gunman's job

Army chaplain: I saw nine dead
Residents react to Fort shootings
Obama: Entire nation is grieving


RELATED INTERNET LINKS Fort Hood The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
FROM OTHER NEWS SITES Guardian.co.uk Fort Hood: Obama urges caution amid fears of backlash against Muslims - 45 mins ago The Independent Officer 'shouted Allahu Akbar' before rampage - 1 hr ago Channel 4 News Obama leads tributes to Fort Hood victims - 2 hrs ago Sky News 'Heroine' Officer Stopped Army Base Gunman - 3 hrs ago The Scotsman Fort Hood shooting: Killer 'shouted Islamic proclamation' - 3 hrs ago About these results

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