FBI Searches for Missed Clues on Hasan

Man Accused in Fort Hood Rampage was "Assessed" by Terrorism Investigators

(AP)  A Defense Department investigator on a terrorism task force looked into Fort Hood shooting suspect Nidal Hasan's background months ago, officials said Tuesday - providing fresh evidence the military knew worrisome details about the Army psychiatrist before last week's deadly rampage.

Two officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case on the record said the Washington-based joint terrorism task force overseen by the FBI was notified of communications between Hasan and a radical imam overseas, and the information was turned over to a Defense Criminal Investigative Service employee assigned to the task force.

That worker wrote up an assessment of Hasan after reviewing the Army major's personnel file and the communications. The assessment concluded Hasan did not merit further investigation, in large part because his communications with the imam were centered on a research paper he was writing at the time, and the investigator had concluded Hasan was in fact working on such a paper, the officials said.

In hindsight, critics question whether the government too quickly dismissed Hasan as a threat, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr.

"Did they reach a conclusion, you know, based on just an overview and a cursory view of the evidence and said, 'we don't have to worry about this guy?'" asked Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich.

Washington Unplugged: Hoekstra's Fort Hood Frustrations

The disclosure came as questions swirled about whether opportunities were missed to head off the massacre - 13 dead and 29 wounded - and the FBI launched its own internal review of how it handled the early information about Hasan. Military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are all defending themselves against tough questions about what each of them knew about Hasan before he allegedly opened fire in a crowded room at the huge military base in Texas.

Within hours after the role of the defense investigator on the task force was disclosed, a senior defense official said "based on what we know now, neither the U.S. Army nor any other organization within the Department of Defense knew of Maj. Hasan's contacts with any Muslim extremists."

CBSNews.com Special Report: Tragedy at Fort Hood

This defense official was not authorized to discuss the case on the record and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Hasan, awake and talking to doctors, met his lawyer Monday in the San Antonio hospital where he is recovering, under guard, from gunshot wounds in the assault. He has not been formally charged but officials plan to charge him in military court, not a civilian one, a choice that suggests his alleged actions are not thought to have emanated from a terrorist organization.

Investigators still believe Hasan acted alone, despite his communications with Anwar al-Awlaki, an imam released from a Yemeni jail last year who has used his personal Web site to encourage Muslims across the world to kill U.S. troops in Iraq. But, officials deemed the communications "benign" and the FBI concluded Hasan presented no imminent threat, reports Orr.

Investigative officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case on the record. Republican Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said it was his understanding Hasan and the imam exchanged e-mails that counterterrorism officials picked up.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Hasan warned his medical colleagues a year and a half ago that to "decrease adverse events" the U.S. military should allow Muslim soldiers to be released as conscientious objectors instead of fighting in wars against other Muslims. Hasan made the recommendation in a culminating presentation to senior Army doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center, where he spent six years as an intern, resident and fellow before being transferred to Fort Hood.

Washington Post Slideshow: Hasan's Presentation on Islam

"It's getting harder and harder for Muslims in the service to morally justify being in a military that seems constantly engaged against fellow Muslims," Hasan said in the presentation, a copy of which was obtained by the Post (left).

FBI Director Robert Mueller ordered the inquiry into the bureau's handling of the case, including its response to potentially worrisome information gathered about Hasan beginning in December 2008 and continuing into early this year.

Authorities revealed the major had once been under scrutiny from a joint terrorism task force because of the series of communications going back months. Al-Awlaki is a former imam at a Falls Church, Va., mosque where Hasan and his family occasionally worshipped.

In 2001, al-Awlaki, a native-born U.S. citizen, had contact with two of the Sept. 11 hijackers, and on Monday his Web site praised Hasan as a hero.

Military officials were made aware of communications between Hasan and al-Awlaki, but because the messages did not advocate or threaten violence, civilian law enforcement authorities could not take the matter further, the officials said. The terrorism task force concluded Hasan was not involved in terrorist planning.

Officials said the content of those messages was "consistent with the subject matter of his research," part of which involved post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from U.S. combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A law enforcement official said the communications consisted primarily of Hasan posing questions to the imam as a spiritual leader or adviser, and the imam did respond to at least some of those messages.

No formal investigation was ever opened based on the contacts, the officials said.

The most serious charge in military court is premeditated murder, which carries the death penalty.

More Coverage of the Tragedy at Fort Hood:
Counseling for Trauma, Grief at Ft. Hood
Ft. Hood Shooting: Composure Under Fire
Report: U.S. Knew Hasan Sought al Qaeda
Radical Imam's Web Site Praises Hasan
Fort Hood Reflects, but Work Carries On
Hasan Computer Shows No Terror Ties
List of Fort Hood Dead, Wounded

[wheatfield2]

Hasan was a recent and frequent visitor at the local strip joint, enjoying lap dances and being known as a "good tipper". One dancer recounted that Hasan bought lap dances from her in a private room on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30 (...)This is from a Euro article.( ) Did U.S. media hide this fact?( ) If you google ""911 hijacker strip joint"", you wil see that is EXACTLY the behavior the 911 attackers exhibited in the recent months before the terrorist attack on our country.

[wheatfield2]

""Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the gunman who killed 13 at America's Fort Hood military base, once gave a lecture to other doctors in which he said non-believers should be beheaded and have boiling oil poured down their throats. He also told colleagues at America's top military hospital that non-Muslims were infidels condemned to hell who should be set on fire.

The outburst came during an hour-long talk Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, gave on the Koran in front of dozens of other doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington DC, where he worked for six years before arriving at Fort Hood in July.

Colleagues had expected a discussion on a medical issue but were instead given an extremist interpretation of the Koran, which Hasan appeared to believe.

Fellow doctors have recounted how they were repeatedly harangued by Hasan about religion and that he openly claimed to be a "Muslim first and American second." One Army doctor who knew him said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim soldier had stopped fellow officers from filing formal complaints. ""

This is from the Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom. American media is now stifling the news. I hear on the news that he will be tried in military court, which means that his crime is not considered terrorist act. They will go to great lengths to coddle this man, elicit sympathy and avoid calling it like it is.

[cattail101]

I don?t understand!!!! Why is anyone with a family member or friend in the military surprised with the actions of this man? My son, who is in a high position with advising the government and military personnel of what is going on there, and the best way to attack the situation, ask for help with his condition after returning from his 3rd deployment. (No soldier wants to look weak, so most don?t report problems when they first return.) After being home for a few months, his wife told him to get help for his anger issue or get out. He lowered himself to ask for help and was told by the MILITARY DOCTOR to avoid stress. LOL Are you ?? kidding me? He is an officer who sets and looks at these reports and data all day long, and they tell him to go home and avoid stress. I?m only a high school graduate and I think sometimes I have more brains than the military and government. God be with us, because the government is going to get us all killed

[bradkt1]

"...the Washington-based joint terrorism task force overseen by the FBI was notified of communications between Hasan and a radical imam overseas, and the information was turned over to a Defense Criminal Investigative Service employee assigned to the task force. The communications were gathered by investigators beginning in December 2008 and continuing into early this year.

That defense investigator wrote up an assessment of Hasan after reviewing the communications and the Army major's personnel file, according to these officials. The assessment concluded Hasan did not merit further investigation ? in large part because his communications with the imam were centered on a research paper about the effects of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and the investigator determined that Hasan was in fact working on such a paper, the officials said."

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I know that this won't be a popular opinion, but I don't think that this had anything to do with political correctness at all. The key fact here is that he was an army phychiatrist who was working with soldiers returning from combat in the Middle East. Hindsight is 20-20, but who can honestly say that they expected an army psychiiatrist to go off like this? Whoever was involved with this investigationc concluded...wrongly...that this man was working within the scope of his professional responsibilities.

One of the questions that I have is if there were concerns by fellow officers about this man, why wasn't anything included in his official personnel file? Had this been the case, the investigator could have had access to this and maybe he would have had a chance to put 2 and 2 together.

I think that people are looking for a convenient scapegoat right now. From what I can see right now, a tragic mistake was made. Think about it...first, army officials were totally shocked that a officer was behind this...who turned out to be an army psychiatrist?

[dscott2009]

I hope the Director Mueller is not trying to use that old tired line he was under investigation, but there were no specifics. He never said that he planed to kill 13 of his fellow soldiers during our investigation. Nobody could have possibly foreseen that a man this unstable would be capable of such an act.

The FBI is only capable of stopping such acts only if the perpetrators of such acts provide them with the specific date and time they plan to Carrie out such acts. Otherwise, they don't know what to do...

[wdh3007]

Everyone failed to see this coming the FBI failed the CIA failed the Army failed the media failed but my guess is the Democrats will lose the millitary vote forever because of this one.

[ConstantineXIII]

Obama bears some responsibility for this attack because he has fostered and encouraged the atmosphere of political correctness that led Army personnel, the FBI, and the CIA to ignore or fail to act upon numerous warning signs and evidence of jihad allegiance and activity on the part of Major Hassan. It was Obama who insisted upon not even using the word "jihad". It was Obama who threatened to prosecute CIA officers. It was Obama who appointed a Homeland Security Director who calls terrorist acts "man caused disasters" and who thinks "right wing extremists" are a greater danger to the country than Islamic jihadists. It was Obama who basically did everything in terms of praising Islam in his Cairo speech but prostrate himself toward Mecca. Folks, poltical correctness doesn't work one iota with people who have Hassan's mindset. And pretending certain people like Hassan and some other Muslims don't believe Islam justifies terrorist acts is simply living in denial.

[50BMS13]

ConstantineXIII....darn rights!

[wheatfield2]

If a man stood up on a desk, shot 100 rounds of ammo into a crowd of unarmed people and hollered "TAKE THAT, YOU GAY HOMOSEXUALS", would you say the motive was NOT a crime against gay people? That he was just a mass murderer? The motive had NOTHING to do with gay people? He just snapped?

The government is excusing Hasan's crime the same way.

[50BMS13]

wheatfield2....good post. You are correct. I've said it before, but the reason the Gov't is doing this is because Obama chose to define his presidency on muslim issues. The very first thing he did was go overseas and make grandiose speeches apologizing to all muslims for America. He also said we are a muslim nation just as much a christian one. He praises muslims for their peace and ways. He BET THE WHOLE DARNED PRESIDENCY of his and his administration on this right off the bat. He rolled snake eyes! He has chosen his path and now his hands are tied. This is ugly and a mess and there is no way to save face out of it asides having a new Commander in Chief. Till then, he will have to borrow more cause the farm was lost on the bet and there is no more money for the next roll.

[djaymick]

The media, Democrats and this Administration will never label this a terroristic act because it gives credibility to "George Bush's War".

[50BMS13]

djaymick...You are correct. But how long can muslim loving politically correct Obama keep this up? There are going to be many more deaths because of radical muslims...it has to be termed "terrorism" eventually you would think? He threw the dice and rolled snake eyes by praising the hell out of muslims and apologizing to the internationally for the USA. Now that their true colors are showing up on our soil he has egg on his face. His whole presidency will be defined on muslim issues because he rolled the dice and bet the farm and rolled snake eyes.

[bruce789]

They didn't do anything because someone would charge them with racism and they would be fired or disgraced, goes beyond common sense it is peer-group like thinking without reasoning. Example too is the bogus mortgage phenomenon, everyone knew the loans were bad, managers reasoned bad investment should taint good when the short term benefit was profitable, yet was bogus.