A US army psychiatrist more or less to be deployed to Afghanistan allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar", or "God is greatest", as he opened fire at a military base in Texas, killing 13 people and wounding 28.
The gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, shouted the Arabic word just before he began his shooting spree at Fort Hood military installation yesterday, corresponding to the base commander, Lieutenant General Robert Cone.
Hasan's family told he had been fearing deployment to Afghanistan.
Cone praised a noncombatant police officer for blocking the rampage. Sergeant Kimberly Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire. Cone told Munley shot the gunman four times despite being shot herself. "It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer," he told.
Twelve of those killed were soldiers; one was a civilian. All of the wounded were in a good condition, officials told at a press conference today. Among them are Hasan himself and Munley.
Contrary to initial covers, Hasan is alive but has not yet been questioned by investigators as he is on a ventilator. "He is in a good condition," an army medical spokesman said.
Commander Colonel Steven Braverman, who was a colleague of Hasan at the Darnall army medical centre on Fort Hood, stated Hasan executed well in his job and had showed no obvious signs of trouble. "We are not aware of any problems that he had while he was here at Darnall," stated Braverman, adding: "We had no troubles with his job performance while he was running with us." Braverman confirmed Hasan had met orders to deploy to Afghanistan.
Nader Hasan, expressed reporters he had been reverencing going to warfare, having counselled scores of passing soldiers for post-traumatic stress disorder. "He was angry by the idea of having to deploy," the cousin said. "He had citizenry telling him on a casual basis the horrors they saw over there."
Family and fellow officers told Hasan had complained of harassment by other troops about his Middle Eastern ethnicity and Muslim faith.
The FBI was last night going through Hasan's phone and computing device tapes to see if a motive could be identified. Agents were checking back on website postings by a man who identified himself as Nidal Hasan that come out sympathetic to suicide bombings.
At about 1.30pm yesterday, Virginia-born Hasan is said to have opened fire with two handguns at the base's soldier preparation centre where military personnels were having equipment checks, dental treatment and undergoing other preparations before being flown to Iraq or as they returned from combat. Neither of the guns are believed to have been military issue.
Ford Hood's deputy base commanding officer, Colonel John G Rossi, said about 500 soldiers were in the field when Hasan participated the centre wearing military uniform. He shot some victims at close range and others were injured as the bullets ricocheted, Rossi said.
troops are not allowed to carry firearms on the base and armed military police quickly swarmed to the scene.
Soldiers tore up their uniforms to patch the injured. military personnels at a graduation ceremony nearby, attended by 600, have been praised for rapidly blocking the doors when the firing started.
The base went into lockdown for several hours amid concerns other gunmen were involved. Greg Schanepp, who was representing a local congressman at the graduation, told how a soldier who had been shot in the back came moving towards him and alarmed him to the shooting, saying him not to go in the direction of the killer.
The base commander, Cone, told only military police on the base carried guns. He did not speculate on a motive. Two other citizenry were questioned and then released.
Federal law enforcement officials stated Associated Press that Hasan had come to their attention at least six months ago because of his World Wide Web postings, which discussed suicide bombings and other terrors.
One of the World Wide Web posts that authorities reviewed was a blog that corresponded suicide bombers with a soldier dropping himself on a grenade to keep the lives of his comrades. "To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. It's more appropriate to say he is a desperate hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause," stated the post. "Students have paralled this to self-destruction bombers whose purpose, by committing their lives, is to help deliver Muslims by killing opposition soldiers."
The officials stated Hasan appeared to have made the postings but it was still being checked.
The wounded were brought to infirmaries in the central Texas region. Lisa Pfund stated her daughter Amber Bahr, 19, was shot in the suffer and was in a stable condition.
Barack Obama, interrupting a voice communication in Washington, said the incident was a "horrific outburst of violence".
The shooter established no signs of trouble or strain when he plugged at a appliance shop for his everyday breakfast, told Jeannie Strickland, local 7-Eleven manager. "He came in (Thursday) morning simply like normal."
Video footage was established on CNN last night apparently of Hasan in a store in the morning ‑ around six to seven hours before the shooting ‑ looking relaxed as he bought some goods.
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