Investigation sought for Hasan's ‘influences'
Congressman Michael McCaul has called for an investigation into possible "outside influences" on the suspect involved in last week’s mass shootings at Fort Hood.
McCaul has requested the investigation in a letter to U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, who chairs the Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorist Assessment.
McCaul, whose district includes Washington County, is ranking member of the Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee.
McCaul said it is "important to the United States’ national security and the security with in our own military forces that we gain a full understanding of what motivated Nidal Malik Hasan to go on a deadly shooting rampage" at the Texas military installation.
"While it has been documented that Mr. Hasan suffered from emotional distress that may have contributed to his actions, reports of his religious and political beliefs and actions he is said to have taken leading up to the shootings, bring to question whether Mr. Hasan was motivated by outside influences, including terrorist organizations," he said in his letter to Harman.
Thirteen people were killed and 29 wounded in the Nov. 5 incident. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, opened fire in a bloody rampage, according to witnesses.
Among the questions which McCaul said should be included in the investigation are:
Who did Mr. Hasan have contact with in the months prior to the events at Fort Hood?
Was Mr. Hasan responsible for a blog post praising suicide bombers that federal law enforcement is said to have been aware of at least six months prior to the shootings?
Was the United States Army aware of any affiliations Mr. Hasan has to terrorist organizations such as at Qaeda?
Why didn’t the United States Army take personnel action against Mr. Hasan upon learning of his opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Why was Mr. Hasan promoted despite his poor evaluation at Walter Reed and was his background examined thoroughly upon his promotion?
" In addition, our subcommittee should investigate the information gathered and distributed by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Intelligence in the immediate aftermath of the incident," said McCaul. "Further, we need to explore DHS’ coordination with the Department of Defense with respect to the security of U.S. military installations.
"It is important to note that, as in the case of Fort Dix, al Qaeda has targeted U.S. military installations in the past and will continue to do so."