Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the psychiatrist accused of launching a Nov. 5 shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, that killed 13 people and wounded dozens of others, was described as “coherent” by the civilian lawyer who will represent him. Voice of America reported that Hasan’s attorney, retired Army Col. John Galligan, met with his client in the hospital there. Hasan sustained four bullet wounds from a civilian police officer during the incident. News reports point to Hasan’s concerns about an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan, where he would be called upon to wage war against fellow Muslims. Other reports mention a 2007 briefing Hasan delivered to military colleagues, in which he warned of “adverse events” that might transpire if Muslim U.S. troops were forced to fight others of their religion. And recent news items mentioned intelligence officers’ interception of email exchanged between Hasan and an anti-American Muslim cleric. The reports of prior official awareness that Hasan might be troubled raised concerns in the White House and Capitol Hill. President Obama and lawmakers are both calling for investigations.
