The tentative picture emerging of Nidal Malik Hasan is of a man who likely subscribed to radical Islamic beliefs, but who was not acting on behalf of any group in allegedly carrying out the shootings in which 13 died at Fort Hood last week.
The leaks are coming fast and furious in the investigation of the shootings, so we thought we'd put together a digest of the recent coverage.
Bear in mind that what's missing from many of these reports are named sources, and that many of the initial stories about the case were totally wrong.
Here we go:
Investigators searching Hasan's computer have found "no evidence of any connection to terror groups or conspirators," CBS reports. They say he did, however, visit sites promoting a radical Muslim ideology.
Hasan communicated this year and last year with radical Yemen-based cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, once a leader at a mosque in Viriginia visited by Hasan, the New York Times reports, citing anonymous government officials. Intelligence agencies were aware of the communications, but decided "the messages warranted no further action." Not publicly known is what exactly was in said in the communications. Awklaki reportedly left Virginia for Yemen in 2002.
But as to Hasan's motivation, the Times reports:
The officials said the communications did not alter the prevailing theory that Major Hasan acted by himself, lashing out as a result of a combination of factors, among them his outspoken opposition to American policy in Iraq and Afghanistan and his deepening religious fervor as a Muslim.
Awlaki hailed Hasan today in a blog post titled, "Nidal Hasan Did the Right Thing."
A senior former counterterrorism official told the Washington Post that plenty of people attended the same Virginia mosque "who are not terrorist suspects."
Awlaki reportedly had a relationship with two of the Sept. 11 hijackers, and makes an appearance in the 9/11 Commission report, Seth Hettena explains. The New York Post took that link and ran with it today.
ABC has a much-cited story that leads with: "U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with al Qaeda, two American officials briefed on classified material in the case told ABC News." Note the use of "people," plural, one of whom could be Awlaki. The ABC story notably does not flesh out its own lead.
Relatives say Hasan was taunted for being a Muslim and desperately wanted out from the military.
Michael Isikoff talks to a (unnamed) law enforcement official who believes the timing of Hasan's gun purchase shows he planned the shooting for some time.
Were the shootings an act of terrorism? Many still-unknown facts about Hasan and his motivation bear on that question, but Matt Duss, Glenn Greenwald, and James Taranto each weigh in with serious points. Meanwhile, Michael Mukasey and Joseph Lieberman answer the question in the affirmative.

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hoppycalif2
November 9, 2009 7:06 PM
One of the disgusting legacies of the Bush administration is the spoilage of English words. That group of miscreants so abused the word "terrorism" that we can no longer feel free to use the word without bending over backwards to be sure we are actually using it correctly and not as part of the jingoism of the Bush gang.
Then, of course, we also almost religiously avoid the obvious - we have a war against Islamic people going on right now. And, the fact that they are Muslims is a major reason for our fighting them. At one time in the distant past, this was called a "crusade", and at one time in the very near past what we are doing was again called a crusade. Let's not be the pot condemning the kettle for being black.
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Mooser
November 10, 2009 10:43 AM in reply to hoppycalif2
You betcha! I mean, exactly what the hell does "A senior former counterterrorism official" mean. Could mean anything or nothing. I would like to hail America's quick response in producing "counterterrorism officials" tho. Now that's quick mass production!
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romath
November 9, 2009 7:31 PM
"The tentative picture emerging of Nidal Malik Hasan is of a man who likely subscribed to radical Islamic beliefs.."
This displays a typical ignorant American's cartoonish understanding and confusion about politics, religion and psychology. Add it up:
- Hasan opposes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and didn't mind speaking out about it, which makes him like not enough of us;
- He recognizes that suicide bombers against foreign occupier troops are fundamentally no different in motivation than were Japanese Kamikazee pilots (and one might add, in a sense, Soviet Army troops that marched wave upon wave on German batteries, facing certain death, in WWII);
- He is from the Near East (Palestine?) and thus has special feelings about what the U.S. is doing there and special motivation about not wanting to be there, at least in a U.S. military uniform;
- He and his ethnic and religious brethren faced frequent discrimination in the U.S. military, including an attack on his car not many days before;
- He listened almost daily to the most horrific stories of U.S. military colonial brutality, as well as what it was doing to American soldiers;
- Due to a shortage of clinicians in the army, he was probably grossly overworked as well, thus emotionally stretched to the limits of human endurance;
- And thus, like a real human, he cracked over time, bit by bit, until a final explosion in the face of deployment to a place he couldn't go for political and religious reasons; being politically and religiously isolated, and without practicable political alternatives, he turned to religion to find some semblance of stability and justification - and failed in the most tragic and criminal manner.
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beondwarispeace
November 10, 2009 3:17 AM in reply to romath
Excellent points Romath, FlyingV and mk3872 - I would also like to know if he had been prescribing drugs for himself. Substantially all of the mass shootings in this country have been done by people who were taking Prozac or some other SRRI drug that kicks disassociative/suicide ideation behavior to the max.
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blacksquare
November 9, 2009 10:33 PM
You're such an American cartoon, Justin.
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FlyingV
November 10, 2009 12:46 AM
My impression from the earliest reporting was that it was considerably bigger deal than just 'he was taunted for being a Muslim"; the harassment was bad enough that he hired a military lawyer, but no investigation was ever opened.
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mk3872
November 10, 2009 12:59 AM
He "likely subscribed to radical Islamic beliefs" ... So where is the non-stop media coverage of the George Tiller's murderer or the murderer in Tennessee this year? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-kim/right-wing-tn-church-shoo_b_115789.html
Oh, right, because in the U.S., Islam is solely considered to be a violent religion practiced by terrorist ...
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ajw93
November 10, 2009 9:34 AM
"A senior former counterterrorism official told the Washington Post that plenty of people attended the same Virginia mosque 'who are not terrorist suspects.'"
Seriously? Wow. That's like saying there are plenty of people who pilot aircraft 'who are not always asleep at the stick.'
I mean, it doesn't go without saying? Ay caramba.
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Zipperupus
November 10, 2009 9:48 AM
Justin proves that the Bush legacy vis a vis religious bigotry is alive and well in the government and media.
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Mooser
November 10, 2009 10:51 AM
I still maintain that if I had a US Army Major-psychiatrist under my Al Queada (although "La Queada" seems to be the preferred spelling at many sites) mind-control, I could find better things for him to do than go crazy and shoot up the cafeteria. Crap, any Christian or cuckolded agnostic could manage that. I bet even a Jewish settler could pull it off.
Gosh, what would we do without handguns? Hasan would have had to gone in there throwing punches. You can't get a media circus out of a few haymakers.
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benjo
November 10, 2009 12:09 PM
FWIW, Nidal is an Arabic name meaning "struggle" usually in reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, similar to names like Jenin and Jihad.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Nidal
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Espresso
November 10, 2009 7:05 PM
What about his patients? Was helping them or did he see them as an enemy?
If you think about the definitions, Hasan is more a traitor than a terrorist, although the death penalty applies either way.
You should forgive the Americans for being a little more sensitive about Muslim killers than Christian killers because the Christians haven't blown up New York lately.
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