'No terror link' to Fort Hood shootings
Major who opened fire at US military base is 'not linked to terrorism', FBI says
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Tuesday, 10, Nov 2009 09:57
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The man who shot 13 people dead and at least 30 more wounded at America's largest military base was not part of a "broader terrorist plot", the FBI has said.
Major Nidal Hasan, 39, who is currently in hospital following Thursday's attack at Fort Hood in Texas was noticed by the FBI in December as part of an unrelated inquiry by the joint terrorism taskforce (JTTF).
However, he was not seen to raise concerns, with the FBI saying, "At this point, there is no information to indicate Major Malik Nidal Hasan had any co-conspirators or was part of a broader terrorist plot".
The bureau added that its investigation had not yet identified a motive behind the attack, adding that "Major Hasan came to the attention of the FBI in December 2008 as part of an unrelated investigation".
"Investigators on the JTTF reviewed certain communications between Major Hasan and the subject of that investigation and assessed that the content of those communications was consistent with research being conducted by Major Hasan in his position as a psychiatrist at the Walter Reed Medical Centre.
"Because the content of the communications was explainable by his research and nothing else derogatory was found, the JTTF concluded that Major Hasan was not involved in terrorist activities or terrorist planning. Other communications of which the FBI was aware were similar to the ones reviewed by the JTTF."
The FBI added it believed Maj Hasan had worked alone, and was not part of a wider terrorist plot.
Some reports have claimed Maj Hasan, a US-born Muslim, was unhappy about being deployed to Afghanistan.