Mass shooting at Fort Hood- Killeen

[DawnCt1]

The PC spin on this is scary. Truly scary.

You are so right! The PC spin has made us more vulnerable. The first rule of war. Know the enemy or at least be able to recognize them when they are among us.

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

You are so right! The PC spin has made us more vulnerable. The first rule of war. Know the enemy or at least be able to recognize them when they are among us.

ITA

 

[EMom]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/11/texas.fort.hood.investigation/index.html


Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- People who knew and studied Maj. Nidal Hasan say he was a loner who had no luck finding a wife, and a criminal profiler said the Fort Hood shooting suspect fits the profile of a mass murderer better than that of a terrorist.

Investigators are searching for any missed "red flags" that might have prevented last week's fatal shooting, which left 12 soldiers and one civilian dead and 40 other people wounded. However, the FBI has said its investigations indicate the "alleged gunman acted alone and was not part of a broader terrorist plot."

"A lot of people are jumping to the conclusion because this man spouted violent Islamic ideology that this is a terrorist attack," criminologist Pat Brown said.

Brown, who profiles killers, said Hasan's profile is that of a loner.

"He was simply a lone guy who had issues, problems, psychopathic behaviors that escalated to the point where he wanted to get back at society, and he took it out on his workmates like most of them do," he said.

A cleric at the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, where Hasan attended when he lived in the area, said Hasan seemed to become "somewhat withdrawn" after the death of his mother in 2001.

"Some individuals said that their experience with him, that he changed after his mother passed away," Imam Johari Abdul-Malik said.

Another cleric there, Shaikh Shaker Elsayed, said efforts to find a wife for Hasan were unsuccessful.

"Well, we were not successful in matching him with somebody," he said.

Hasan, a 39-year-old psychiatrist, came under investigation last year when his communications with radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki were intercepted by terrorism investigators who were monitoring al-Awlaki, a federal law enforcement official told CNN.

But an employee of the Defense Department's Criminal Investigative Services, assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, decided to drop the investigation after reviewing the intercepted communications and Hasan's personnel files.

A senior Defense Department official said the task force's ground rules prevented that information from being transmitted outside the task force, although others disputed that.

"I find it hard to believe that they would just say, 'OK, we're not going to share any of this information with the military,' " HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks said. "I mean, that's why you have a person from the military, from different military branches, on the task force to be the liaison."

A former counterterrorism official said the information about Hasan's communications with the imam should have been shared with the military unless the FBI specifically forbade it.

Still, one source familiar with the investigation said Hasan's communications with al-Awlaki appeared innocent in nature.

Another federal source familiar with the investigation said Hasan's actions give no indication he was following the guidance in al Qaeda's terrorist handbook in the weeks before Thursday's attack.

That handbook directs jihadists to conceal their religion, mask their beliefs and blend in. Instead, Hasan frequently appeared in public in traditional Muslim clothing and prayed daily at the local mosque, making no attempt to hide his religion or conservative beliefs, the source said.

Hasan remained hospitalized Wednesday in stable condition and has not been formally charged with any of the 13 deaths in last week's shooting. His civilian attorney, retired Army Col. John Galligan, said he has spoken with his client, but that he was heavily sedated.

"I think the closest thing that indicates that there's a court-martial in the works is last night about 8 I did receive an e-mail from the prosecutor at Fort Hood indicating to me that the pass privileges and leave privileges of Maj. Hasan had been revoked," Galligan said.



from what I could tell, this had not been posted yet...sorry if it has......

To paraphrase Larry the Cable Guy, "Now that's just ignorant...I don't care who you are."

How can I get it through the through the thick heads of the psychobabblers that a LONE terrorist is neverthless, a TERRORIST? It makes him no less dangerous and no less deadly. It makes him no less a terrorist that he is a loner. One does not negate the other. They are not mutually exclusive. A terrorist does not have to be part of a broader terrorist plot to be a murdering terrorist. Terrorists with buddies, terrorists without......They're all the same. Lone terrorists are not harmless and to be ignored.

I don't see what people are doing as "jumping to conclusions" so much as seeing the big, fat obvious facts right in front of their face and being audacious enough to say, "Not only does the emperor have no clothes, he's a freaking terrorist." (Albeit acting alone......but still a terrorist.)

So what if he couldn't get a wife? Maybe no American born Muslim women were "good enough" for him or met his "high" standards of conduct for what he wanted in a wife. So that made him a loner? Or did it say more about his fanatical form of Islam? It's all in how you look at it. And mind you, he did not scream, "I'm so tired of being alone," as he shot all his fellow soldiers. I believe he made his motivation clear. There are none so blind as those who will not see......

 

[lovin diz]

To paraphrase Larry the Cable Guy, "Now that's just ignorant...I don't care who you are."

How can I get it through the through the thick heads of the psychobabblers that a LONE terrorist is neverthless, a TERRORIST? It makes him no less dangerous and no less deadly. It makes him no less a terrorist that he is a loner. One does not negate the other. They are not mutually exclusive. A terrorist does not have to be part of a broader terrorist plot to be a murdering terrorist. Terrorists with buddies, terrorists without......They're all the same. Lone terrorists are not harmless and to be ignored.

I don't see what people are doing as "jumping to conclusions" so much as seeing the big, fat obvious facts right in front of their face and being audacious enough to say, "Not only does the emperor have no clothes, he's a freaking terrorist." (Albeit acting alone......but still a terrorist.)

So what if he couldn't get a wife? Maybe no American born Muslim women were "good enough" for him or met his "high" standards of conduct for what he wanted in a wife. So that made him a loner? Or did it say more about his fanatical form of Islam? It's all in how you look at it. And mind you, he did not scream, "I'm so tired of being alone," as he shot all his fellow soldiers. I believe he made his motivation clear. There are none so blind as those who will not see......

THis is one of the best statements of this thread...

And in the meantime, while everyone tries to be so pc, and not want to hurt anyones feelings, the terroists, are just laughing at us....what weak minded people we have become....

 

[OceanAnnie]

To paraphrase Larry the Cable Guy, "Now that's just ignorant...I don't care who you are."

How can I get it through the through the thick heads of the psychobabblers that a LONE terrorist is neverthless, a TERRORIST? It makes him no less dangerous and no less deadly. It makes him no less a terrorist that he is a loner. One does not negate the other. They are not mutually exclusive. A terrorist does not have to be part of a broader terrorist plot to be a murdering terrorist. Terrorists with buddies, terrorists without......They're all the same. Lone terrorists are not harmless and to be ignored.

I don't see what people are doing as "jumping to conclusions" so much as seeing the big, fat obvious facts right in front of their face and being audacious enough to say, "Not only does the emperor have no clothes, he's a freaking terrorist." (Albeit acting alone......but still a terrorist.)

So what if he couldn't get a wife? Maybe no American born Muslim women were "good enough" for him or met his "high" standards of conduct for what he wanted in a wife. So that made him a loner? Or did it say more about his fanatical form of Islam? It's all in how you look at it. And mind you, he did not scream, "I'm so tired of being alone," as he shot all his fellow soldiers. I believe he made his motivation clear. There are none so blind as those who will not see......

So true. What does it take?! I still think it remains to be seen whether he acted alone or not. I think the mainstream media wants to portray it that way. He made contact with the terrorists. I'm sure it wasn't for milk and cookies. He held the same extremist views. Add it up. If our society doesn't get off the PC train, and see the facts for what they are, we will see more of this type of horror.

 

[shrubber]

During a shooting spree is when you must be most vigilant against anti-muslim violence...................

 

[Jennasis]

Why hasn't this VA based Imam/spritual adviser to all these guys been detained/questioned/arrested, something? Or has he been.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Why hasn't this VA based Imam/spritual adviser to all these guys been detained/questioned/arrested, something? Or has he been.

That would make too much sense.

 

[EMom]

Why hasn't this VA based Imam/spritual adviser to all these guys been detained/questioned/arrested, something? Or has he been.

Whoa, there.....Aren't you jumping to conclusions? I mean, scratching your head and thinking, "Hey, I wonder.....?" is tantamount to tarring and feathering an innocent newborn baby. Shame on you!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[Jennasis]

Whoa, there.....Aren't you jumping to conclusions? I mean, scratching your head and thinking, "Hey, I wonder.....?" is tantamount to tarring and feathering an innocent newborn baby. Shame on you!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

While I still adamantly refuse to paint all Muslims or the Islamic religion with the same stained brush as the one used by Hasan, al Qaeda, and other terrorists, it would seem there is a connection between this particular "spiritual adviser" and at least a few terrorists. One would hope the powers-that-be have launched an investigation into it if they have not done so already.

Have there been people on this particular thread who would not classify Hasan's actions as terroristic?

 

[4nana]

The "trigger" was the crazy Imam that he had been in communication with and his beliefs. He would have not been in a combat situation but in a supportive role supporting those who were fighting Jihadists....just like him.

AMEN!

My heart and prayers go out to all who died and are suffering by this crazed, sick, gunman's hands . Such a senseless tragedy.

His lawyer announced today, Hasan is paralyzed from the waist down.

 

[shrubber]

AMEN!

My heart and prayers go out to all who died and are suffering by this crazed, sick, gunman's hands . Such a senseless tragedy.

His lawyer announced today, Hasan is paralyzed from the waist down.

I hope his 72 virgins have a deck of cards.

 

[4nana]

I hope his 72 virgins have a deck of cards.

Ya' really think virgins are down there?!?!

 

[MulanUSAF]

I hope his 72 virgins have a deck of cards.

 

[dismom2]

From the article;

How does one have an "innocent" communication with al=Awlaki? He isn't just any Imam. He is an al Qaeda Imam! Because he was a loner, didn't follow the exact directions of jihadists to blend in, doesn't make him NOT A TERRORIST. He didn't have to hide his relgion. He was embraced by the politically correct. He could openly discuss decapitations of infidels at grand rounds and everyone was afraid to react. Why should he bother hiding? 60% of Americans believe this guy was a terrorist. I am with the majority and the psychobabble is just that.

Well worded. And let me say, being PC can be dangerous.

As for keeping an eye on the killer and his confidant, I believe there are people keeping an 'eye' on a lot of people, even if in secret. It's not like the government has to, does, or should always tell everybody everything. When it comes to our national security, I don't have a problem with certain people being singled out and watched. If this did not take place, we'd be scr--ed, and we'd be downright fools. Some people are naive with their PC views.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I should have added: this article does not reflect my views....at this point, I am not sure what to think, IMHO.......I will say I find profiling interesting, but don't know how much weight to give to such findings.

ETA: and the one thing I know about the government in these matters, you will never get the whole story or real story from them (as the pp above alluded to) - for obvious and good reason...so no point in forming a conclusion from their remarks.

I put the article out there because it adds to the discussion..... I had not been following this discussion all that closely, but found this elsewhere and thought it might be pertinent or interesting.....

 

[DawnCt1]

AMEN!

My heart and prayers go out to all who died and are suffering by this crazed, sick, gunman's hands . Such a senseless tragedy.

His lawyer announced today, Hasan is paralyzed from the waist down.

Good! How ironic. Paralyzed on his way to meet the 72 virgins.

 

[OceanAnnie]

FORT HOOD, Texas — In retrospect, the signs of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's growing anger over the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan seem unmistakable.But even people who worried his increasingly strident views were clouding his ability to serve the U.S. military could not predict the murderous rampage of which he now stands accused.

In the months leading to Thursday's shooting spree that left 13 people dead and 29 others wounded, Hasan raised eyebrows with comments that the war on terror was "a war on Islam" and wrestled with what to tell fellow Muslim solders who had their doubts about fighting in Islamic countries.

"The system is not doing what it's supposed to do," said Dr. Val Finnell, who complained to administrators at a military university about what he considered Hasan's "anti-American" rants. "He at least should have been confronted about these beliefs, told to cease and desist, and to shape up or ship out."

Finnell studied with Hasan from 2007-2008 in the master's program in public health at the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, where Hasan persistently complained about perceived anti-Muslim sentiment in the military and injected his politics into courses where they had no place.

"In retrospect, I'm not surprised he did it," Finnell said of the shootings. "I had real questions about what his priorities were, what his beliefs were."

Hasan, who was shot by civilian police and taken into custody, was in intensive care but breathing on his own late Saturday at an Army hospital in San Antonio. Officials refused to say if he was talking to investigators.

At least 17 victims remained hospitalized with gunshot wounds, and nine were in intensive care late Saturday. On Sunday, numerous church services honoring the victims were planned both on the post and in neighboring Killeen.

Military criminal investigators continue to refer to Hasan as the only suspect in the shootings but won't say when charges would be filed. "We have not established a motive for the shootings at this time," said Army Criminal Investigative Command spokesman Chris Grey.

A government official speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the case said an initial review of Hasan's computer use has found no evidence of links to terror groups, or anyone who might have helped plan or push him toward the shooting attack. The review of Hasan's computer is continuing and more evidence could emerge, the source said.


Hasan likely would face military justice rather than federal criminal charges if investigators determine the violence was the work of just one person.

Hasan's family described a man incapable of the attack, calling him a devoted doctor and devout Muslim who showed no signs that he might lash out.

"I've known my brother Nidal to be a peaceful, loving and compassionate person who has shown great interest in the medical field and in helping others," said his brother, Eyad Hasan, of Sterling, Virginia, in a statement. "He has never committed an act of violence and was always known to be a good, law-abiding citizen."

Still, in the days since authorities believe Hasan fired more than 100 rounds in a soldier processing center at Fort Hood in the worst mass shooting on a military facility in the U.S., a picture has emerged of a man who was forcefully opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was trying to elude his pending deployment to Afghanistan and had struggled professionally in his work as an Army psychiatrist.

"I told him, `There's something wrong with you,"' Osman Danquah, co-founder of the Islamic Community of Greater Killeen, told The Associated Press on Saturday. "I didn't get the feeling he was talking for himself, but something just didn't seem right."

Danquah assumed the military's chain of command knew about Hasan's doubts, which had been known for more than a year to classmates at the Maryland graduate military medical program. His fellow students complained to the faculty about Hasan's "anti-American propaganda," but said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim student kept officers from filing a formal complaint.

Others recalled a pleasant neighbor who forgave a fellow soldier charged with tearing up his "Allah is Love" bumper sticker. A superior officer at Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Colorado. Kimberly Kesling, has said Hasan was quiet with a strong work ethic who provided excellent care for his patients.

Twice this summer, Danquah said, Hasan asked him what to tell soldiers who expressed misgivings about fighting fellow Muslims. The retired Army first sergeant and Gulf War veteran said he reminded Hasan that these soldiers had volunteered to fight, and that Muslims were fighting each other in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Palestinian territories.

"But what if a person gets in and feels that it's just not right?" Danquah recalled Hasan asking him.

"I'd give him my response. It didn't seem settled, you know. It didn't seem to satisfy," he said. "It would be like a person playing the devil's advocate. ... I said, `Look. I'm not impressed by you."'

Danquah said he was disturbed by Hasan's persistent questioning but never told anyone at the sprawling Army post about the talks, because Hasan never expressed anger toward the Army or indicated any plans for violence.

"If I had an inkling that he had this type of inclination or intentions, definitely I would have brought it to their attention," he said.

Hasan was promoted from captain to major in 2008, the same year he graduated from the master's program. Bernard Rostker, a military personnel expert at the Rand Corp., said a shortage of officers and psychiatrists meant Hasan's advancement was all but certain absent a serious blemish on his record, such as a DUI or a drug charge.

Hasan reportedly jumped up on a desk and shouted "Allahu akbar!" — Arabic for "God is great!" — at the start of Thursday's attack.

"Hopefully, they can put together the pieces and find out what in the world was in his mind and why he went crazy," Danquah said. "Aaaaah, it's sad. Those soldiers could have been my soldiers."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,572986,00.html?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a4:g4:r4:c0.000000:b0:z5

 

[OceanAnnie]

Fort Hood shooting suspect sent money to Pakistan, Texas congressman says
12:14 AM CST on Friday, November 13, 2009

By DAVE MICHAELS and LEE HANCOCK / The Dallas Morning News

An Austin congressman said Thursday that he has confirmed that Fort Hood massacre suspect Nidal Malik Hasan wired money to Pakistan, which Muslim extremist groups use as a base to raise funds and carry out terrorist attacks.

Rep. Michael McCaul's statement followed a Dallas Morning News report that authorities were looking into whether such wire transfers had occurred. It also came as Army officials announced charges of premeditated murder against Hasan, who could face the death penalty.

"I have confirmed through independent sources that there were communications and wire transfers made to Pakistan," McCaul said in a prepared statement provided by his spokesman. "This Pakistan connection just raises more red flags about this case and demonstrates why it's important for Congress to exercise its oversight authority."

The spokesman, Mike Rosen, said McCaul wouldn't name his sources. The congressman's statement didn't address who Hasan's contacts in Pakistan were, when he communicated with them or how much money he sent.

McCaul is the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee's intelligence subcommittee. He typically is briefed on classified material but had yet to be formally briefed on the Fort Hood killings.

He "has been actively seeking information from as many credible sources as possible," Rosen said. "It has been more difficult than usual to obtain information from our intelligence community."

Asked about McCaul's comments, an FBI spokesman in Washington said he couldn't comment on any aspect of the investigation.

Evan Kohlmann, a terrorism expert who has consulted with the FBI and the Defense Department, noted that Hasan is a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent, with no known family ties to Pakistan. Kohlmann said that leaves only two reasons for the psychiatrist to wire money to the South Asian country: to support charity or to support jihad.

Westerners who want to give to a legitimate Pakistani charity typically would do so by putting money in a U.S. or British bank account, he added.

"It raises huge alarm bells," Kohlmann said of Hasan's reported wire transfers.

Pakistan borders Afghanistan, the country to which Hasan was supposed to deploy soon. Pakistan is battling a radical Islamic insurgency and is widely believed to be the hiding place of Osama bin Laden.

Following the money

Dennis Lormel, a former FBI special agent who directed the agency's efforts to identify sources of terrorist financing, said investigators would take note of the large amount of disposable income Hasan apparently had. He made more than $90,000 a year, had no wife or dependents, and paid about $300 a month for a tiny apartment.

"It seems like there is a lifestyle that was beneath his means," said Lormel, now a managing director for IPSA International, a consultant to banks on combating money laundering. "Where is the money going?"

Lormel said Hasan could have used several channels to wire money abroad, including remittance services that cater to immigrant workers who send money to their native countries. If that were the case, there may be documentation of the transaction, Lormel and others said.

Banks and other money transmitters must tell the Treasury Department if an individual sends more than $10,000 outside the country.

Kohlmann said only a "breakdown" could explain the FBI's failure to dig deeper when it discovered late last year that Hasan was communicating by e-mail with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical cleric in Yemen.

The U.S.-born imam exhorted Western Muslims in January to practice jihad – often translated as "holy war" – by donating money.

Al-Awlaki worked several years ago at a northern Virginia mosque that Hasan and some of the 9/11 hijackers attended. Federal authorities have investigated the cleric's ties to terrorists since the 1990s but never brought charges against him.

"Everybody at the FBI knows who Anwar al-Awlaki is," Kohlmann said. "In the world of jihadis, this guy is Bruce Springsteen."

After the Fort Hood massacre, the cleric said on his blog that Hasan was "a hero."

Intelligence review

FBI officials have said they didn't pursue Hasan last year because his e-mails were consistent with research he was doing. At the time, he lived in the Washington area while serving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and doing a fellowship at Uniformed Services University of the Armed Services.

The White House said Thursday that President Barack Obama has ordered a review of all intelligence related to Hasan and whether it was properly shared and acted upon.

The review will be overseen by John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. Initial results are due Nov. 30.

Members of Congress, particularly Michigan Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, have called for a full examination of what agencies knew about Hasan's contacts with al-Awlaki and other radicals.

Hoekstra told The News on Wednesday that he heard from sources "outside of the [intelligence] community" that Hasan might have contacts in Pakistan.

Lone gunman

Officials believe Hasan was the only gunman "involved in the actual shootings" on Nov. 5, said Christopher Grey, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.

He told reporters at Fort Hood on Thursday that the major faces military charges in the deaths of a dozen soldiers and one civilian. No decision has been made about whether to charge Hasan with a 14th count of murder in the death of the unborn child of a pregnant shooting victim.

Hasan had no appointments, orders or other legitimate reasons to be at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center on the afternoon of the attacks, officials said. A multi-agency task force continues to follow leads and clues about possible motives for the attack.

John Galligan, a retired Army colonel who is Hasan's civilian attorney, said his client was served with formal charges without notice to him or Hasan's appointed military counsel.

"I have a client presumed to be innocent, in an ICU, in a hospital bed, being served with papers that I've not yet seen," Galligan said. "If it appears that I'm a little upset, I am."

He conceded that military regulations don't require that a defense lawyer be present. But the military justice system should show that it plans to treat Hasan fairly, he argued.

Mental issues

Galligan hinted at a defense focusing on Hasan's mental responsibility. And "already, there are problems," he said.

Questions about mental capacity in Fort Hood criminal proceedings are usually resolved by having a soldier evaluated at Darnall Army Medical Center – the hospital where Hasan had worked as a psychiatrist since July. When a case requires "the gold standard," Galligan said, defendants are evaluated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center near Washington – where Hasan was stationed before coming to Fort Hood.

"We're going to have to figure out where he can get a fair evaluation," Galligan said.

Some Hasan acquaintances have said he was upset about being deployed overseas to a battle zone where the U.S. was fighting Muslims. Some have described him as hinting at extremist views on the job. Some have said he seemed paranoid or schizoid, according to National Public Radio.

"We're looking at every reason for this shooting," Grey said. "We're aggressively following every possible lead."

A dozen of the wounded remained at local hospitals in stable condition, another Army official said Thursday. One was still in intensive care. Grey said investigators have not been able to talk to some victims because of the severity of their injuries.

Grey declined to answer questions, saying authorities do not want to jeopardize the investigation.

The processing center is still sealed off as a crime scene, Grey said. That's where Hasan drew two pistols, one equipped with a laser sight, and began gunning down soldiers, authorities say.

Investigators have examined more than 100 cars in nearby parking lots for bullet holes and are still combing the offices, cubicles and open areas of the processing center for evidence. Four adjacent buildings and surrounding land are also being searched for clues, and authorities have "no estimated timeline for when the crime scene will be released," Grey said.

Hasan, who was wounded when confronted by two civilian police officers who work at Fort Hood, is being treated at a military hospital in San Antonio. He has refused to speak to investigators.

Dave Michaels reported from Washington; Lee Hancock reported from Fort Hood. Staff writer Brooks Egerton contributed to this report from Dallas.


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/111309dnentcharges.4179b70.html

 

[EMom]

Fort Hood shooting suspect sent money to Pakistan, Texas congressman says
12:14 AM CST on Friday, November 13, 2009

By DAVE MICHAELS and LEE HANCOCK / The Dallas Morning News

An Austin congressman said Thursday that he has confirmed that Fort Hood massacre suspect Nidal Malik Hasan wired money to Pakistan, which Muslim extremist groups use as a base to raise funds and carry out terrorist attacks.

Rep. Michael McCaul's statement followed a Dallas Morning News report that authorities were looking into whether such wire transfers had occurred. It also came as Army officials announced charges of premeditated murder against Hasan, who could face the death penalty.

"I have confirmed through independent sources that there were communications and wire transfers made to Pakistan," McCaul said in a prepared statement provided by his spokesman. "This Pakistan connection just raises more red flags about this case and demonstrates why it's important for Congress to exercise its oversight authority."

The spokesman, Mike Rosen, said McCaul wouldn't name his sources. The congressman's statement didn't address who Hasan's contacts in Pakistan were, when he communicated with them or how much money he sent.

McCaul is the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee's intelligence subcommittee. He typically is briefed on classified material but had yet to be formally briefed on the Fort Hood killings.

He "has been actively seeking information from as many credible sources as possible," Rosen said. "It has been more difficult than usual to obtain information from our intelligence community."

Asked about McCaul's comments, an FBI spokesman in Washington said he couldn't comment on any aspect of the investigation.

Evan Kohlmann, a terrorism expert who has consulted with the FBI and the Defense Department, noted that Hasan is a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent, with no known family ties to Pakistan. Kohlmann said that leaves only two reasons for the psychiatrist to wire money to the South Asian country: to support charity or to support jihad.

Westerners who want to give to a legitimate Pakistani charity typically would do so by putting money in a U.S. or British bank account, he added.

"It raises huge alarm bells," Kohlmann said of Hasan's reported wire transfers.

Pakistan borders Afghanistan, the country to which Hasan was supposed to deploy soon. Pakistan is battling a radical Islamic insurgency and is widely believed to be the hiding place of Osama bin Laden.

Following the money

Dennis Lormel, a former FBI special agent who directed the agency's efforts to identify sources of terrorist financing, said investigators would take note of the large amount of disposable income Hasan apparently had. [B]He made more than $90,000 a year, had no wife or dependents, and paid about $300 a month for a tiny apartment.[/B]

"It seems like there is a lifestyle that was beneath his means," said Lormel, now a managing director for IPSA International, a consultant to banks on combating money laundering. "Where is the money going?"

Lormel said Hasan could have used several channels to wire money abroad, including remittance services that cater to immigrant workers who send money to their native countries. If that were the case, there may be documentation of the transaction, Lormel and others said.

Banks and other money transmitters must tell the Treasury Department if an individual sends more than $10,000 outside the country.

Kohlmann said only a "breakdown" could explain the FBI's failure to dig deeper when it discovered late last year that Hasan was communicating by e-mail with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical cleric in Yemen.
.......................................
Dave Michaels reported from Washington; Lee Hancock reported from Fort Hood. Staff writer Brooks Egerton contributed to this report from Dallas.


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/111309dnentcharges.4179b70.html

From the get-go, I said something about this to DH. I said it seemed strange that an officer who was making a decent salary and living in a city with a low cost of living, would choose to live in an obviously low-rent apartment complex. That place was clearly cheap, cheap, cheap. He didn't have med school student loans, since the US government paid for his education, so his money wasn't going to pay back loans. His parents were dead, so he wasn't supporting them. He had no wife or children to support. Yes, maybe he gave money to relatives, but we haven't heard about that and if he was making $90,000, he could afford to help out relatives and still live in an apartment a little less bare bones than that one. So I had to ask......Where was all his money going?

It didn't take much of a leap to wonder if he'd made some contributions to some less than patriotic causes. Patriotic to the US, that is. I guess that possibility will be checked out now..........