Fort Hood Shooting: Terrorism? : Scroll for UPDATED Details, Nidal Hasan

by the Left Coast Rebel

Details on this story are still developing, for now we know a few things. Via ABC News, emphasis mine:

Thirteen people have been killed and 30 wounded in a shooting spree at a Texas military post in a murderous rampage that officials believe was carried out by an Army psychiatrist. The suspected gunman was identified by ABC News as Major Nidal Malik Hasan. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, told Fox News that military sources informed her that the gunman was about to be deployed to Iraq

The general said there were "eyewitness accounts of more than one shooter," and the others were tracked to an adjacent facility.

The CounterTerrorist Unit said they have "no word" yet on whether this incident was terrorism-related.

Fox News:

Obviously authorities are going to take their time to get to the bottom of this tragedy and act of violence. It is unknown as well as to whether or not this is a terrorist incident. Weasel Zippers notes that the shooter was a Muslim convert....

This afternoon, knee deep in the Bachmann-rally stuff, I did catch the Obamanation press conference on this story. It was bizarre, to say the least. He seemed to beat around the bush before getting to the news of the shooting. Anyone else note the same?

Also, I cannot even tell you the words here that I would use to describe leadership in our Capitol if they use this tragedy to force a secret-distract vote on HR 3962 on Saturday. Am I right?

Also read RightKlik

Also read Atlas Shrugs

Find the best detail of changing events on the Fort Hood story at the Jawa Report

UPDATE I: William Jacobson over at Legal Insurrection points to the ridiculous speculation that the "Oath Keepers'' group may be behind it. He has a posting from a fringe nutroots blogger that "hopes" that the "Oath Keeper" is responsible. Well, what I hope for people that think like this I can't say on my blog. I agree with Jacobson :

It turns out that the shooter has a Muslim name, but that proves nothing other than that he has a Muslim name. Fox News is interviewing a soldier who knew the shooter, and who is attributing anti-U.S., religious comments to the shooter, but we'll see what an investigation proves.
It may be that this has a religious or political motive, or it may be that the person was just crazy, or some combination of the two.

UPDATE II : Allahpundit is kicking a** with the updates on this story. He points to the fact that Hasan had posted for months not-so-subtle inclinations and that, although shot; he is now in stable condition. Quite a turn of events.

UPDATE III : This Friday morning I had the am news on early, making a quick trip to the store. The local talkers here, (liberal), cueing in on the fact that the shooter Nader Hasan was,(along with being alive now), the object of racial jokes and slurs of fellow military and that he was a psyche guy and had alcohol problems and suffered trauma from having to give psychriatic guidance to vets,(and their war stories). I kid you not. They were chattering yet ignoring the elephant in the room. That being:

Hotair has other details including Hasan's internet postings about suicide bombers. Hint, Hasan draws a parallel to jihadist bombers and American troops that sacrifice their lives for their brothers in arms.

Hotair also points to sources citing that Hasan was giving away his possessions and copies of the Quran the day of the shooting.

The AP is reporting this morning as well that Hasan empties his apartment of posessions days before the shooting. The big news of the AP story this morning, (emphasis mine):

Soldiers who witnessed the rampage reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" — an Arabic phrase for "God is great!" — before opening fire, said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the base commander. He said officials had not yet confirmed that Hasan made the comment before the shooting spree.

The motive, according to authorities is still unclear. Today terrorism task force agents are going to speak with Hasan's relatives as wel. AP also points to the internet posting and suicide bombers:

At least six months ago, Hasan came to the attention of law enforcement officials because of nternet postings about suicide bombings and other threats, including posts that equated suicide bombers to soldiers who throw themselves on a grenade to save the lives of their comrades.

Investigators had not determined for certain whether Hasan was the author of the posting, and a formal investigation had not been opened before the shooting, said law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the case.

UPDATE IV :

Often with a story like this that involves a protected religious/ethnic group, the press exposes hostility to truth and political correctness that puts lives at risk. To elaborate: Can you imagine if, instead of Hasan, the shooter had been a 'Smith' and there were 13 dead at an abortion clinic? A mosque?

Anyway Cassy Fiano has a great writeup that points to this theme, her example being from the Daily Kos.

Robert Stacy McCain at The Other McCain also points to this theme as well, from TOM:

Excuse the dark sarcasm. Having spent the past week in upstate New York with Ali Akbar -- yes, that's his real name, and he's a Southern Baptist from Texas -- covering a campaign repeatedly maligned as "radical" and "extremist," there is something especially bitter for me in this ugly reminder that there are still people who want to kill us all, just because we're Americans.

Anyone who wants to distract you from real dangers by telling you to fear this week's pet bogeyman -- global warming! creationists! Ron Paul! -- is not your friend. They are fools and liars who cannot be trusted. They are objectively evil.

UPDATE V :Bungalow Bill just tipped me on the Hasan/Homeland Securtity connection. From Weasel Zippers:

(Gawker) The gunman who killed 12 people today at Ft. Hood appears, based on current media reports, to be Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan who was listed as a
participant in a Homeland Security Policy Institute's presidential transition
task force last year.

The task force was not officially affiliated with the White House. It was a
project of the Homeland Security Policy Institute, an independent thinktank
housed at George Washington University, aimed at drafting policy recommendations
for the incoming Obama administration.

According to the task force's May 2009 report [pdf], a "Nidal Hasan" from the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine was a task force event participant. Other participants included Senate and House staffers, Department of Homeland Security officials, Defense Department officials, and reporters for Politico, the Washington Post, and the London Times.