According to online reports, a Muslim soldier based at Fort Hood, Texas opened fire on military personnel at the base Thursday killing 13 and wounding 30 before he was taken into custody.
Reports say Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan shouted “Allahu Akbar,” which is Arabic for “God is great!” before opening fire with handguns.
Hasan, a lifelong Muslim, was a committed soldier with no extremist views, according to his imam at a mosque Hasan regularly attended. Hasan wore his uniform to prayers, according to the AP.
Authorities originally thought they killed Hasan during an intense shootout following the rampage. But Hasan was found alive and hospitalized in stable condition.
Hasan was apparently unhappy about being deployed to Iraq. He had hoped that Barack Obama would pull out o the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and got into frequent arguments with other soldiers about the war. that should have been a red flag that something was amiss.
In an effort to explain how a soldier using handguns could kill and wound so many, officials explained that “friendly fire” and ricocheting bullets may have contributed to the deaths. Responding military officials may have shot some of the victims accidentally.
Authorities initially thought three soldiers were involved. But two soldiers taken into custody were released yesterday without charges.
