Lawyer asks investigators not to question Hasan

He killed 13 fellow soldier. He is a soldier himself, and his job and profession to protect his fellow citizens (including soldiers). And he cries for "fair trial".

This is the sort of backlash I feared. They intend to try Major Hassan for the unfortunate outburst of violence at Ft. Hood, as our president so eloquently put it.

US Army cannot afford to let such a 'criminal' let go at any cost. That would set a bad example for others. Thus his fate is apparently sealed, and he is condemned even before a 'fair' trial.

They intend to try Major Hassan for the unfortunate outburst of violence at Ft. Hood

What do you think they should do with him? He killed twelve soldiers and wounded dozens of others.

Justuju- "...he is condemned even before a 'fair' trial."

Because the Patriot Act has replaced the U.S. Constitution all U.S. citizens are stripped of their right to a fair trial in cases of "domestic terrorism."

Just a couple of quick comments.

Firstly, while Major Hasan showed a clear intent to kill, what is it with the people who shot him? None of that "shoot to wound" garbage, somebody should have had the presence of mind to slot the guy on the spot. It would have saved everybody a whole lot of hassle. It would appear that marksmanship standards for non-Muslim member of the US Army are not what they should be.

On a more serious note, like it or not, Major Hasan does have his right to a day in court. He also has a right to legal representation. Quit complaining! The again, better marksmanship standards would have saved everybody a whole lot of hassle.

Yeah, the civilian police had to take him down.. what happened to army arsenal, they should have shot him up with an automatic weapon.

There are many here who could answer this: His trial will be held by a military court? Is death penalty OK for the military justice?

timorborder -

Do you know anything about the military? You don't necessarily walk around anywhere and everywhere on base with weaponry. This is not a question of the marksmanship standards of the soldiers; the question is whether they had weapons at all with which to defend themselves.

timorboder: Read the article. Who said he will not have lawyers? He already has. Who said he will not got on court? No one. The lawyers are bitching that there is too much media attention, that is hurting his client's sensitive human rights, blablabla.

I want him to keep quiet right now. I don't want him to say anything out of line or something that would prejudice the trial.

Then I want the General Court Martial to do it's job. Except for being escorted from point "A" to point "B", I don't ever want him to see the light of freedom.

He'll go to trial. He'll be found guilty. I have no doubt. < :-)

I'm trying to remember if the UCMJ uses hanging or shooting to enforce the death penalty. We'll find out in due course.

USAF, thanks for your inquiry about my military knowledge.

I must admit that I know nothing at all about the military lifestyle, despite having graduated top 5 in my class from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and subsequently serving for 15 years as an infantry officer, including 2 years on exchange to Fort Bragg in the US as an instructor in what used to be called CRW.

Yeah, by and large, I am just your average, ignorant tree-hugging hippie I suppose.

He'll go to trial. He'll be found guilty. I have no doubt. " I bet he gets off somehow, some way!

doubt that the suspect would be able to get a fair trial

What is "fair?" Is "fair" when lawyers let him off on a technicality?

A radical American imam living in Yemen who had contact with two 9/11 hijackers praised Hasan as a hero as a hero on his personal Web site Monday.

as a hero as a hero ...?

Hasan is a traitor, a murderer, an enemy combatant and a terrorist.

A fair trial would be an islamic one, where all the families of the victims pronounce Hasan guilty as hell and stone him like they do in islamic countries. And they do it next week, not in ten years like the D.C. sniper.

I must admit that I know nothing at all about the military lifestyle, despite having graduated top 5 in my class from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and subsequently serving for 15 years as an infantry officer, including 2 years on exchange to Fort Bragg in the US as an instructor in what used to be called CRW.

I'm sorry, I'm confused here. Do you think soldiers walk around with loaded weapons all the time?

My greatest fear right now is that any testimony Major Hassan might be forced to give regarding the unfortunate outburst of violence at Ft. Hood will focus on his religious beliefs. This might radicalize ordinary Americans. What proof do I have? One of my contacts at the Dearborn Kabob House recently reported hearing something very shocking:it seems some of Sean Hannity's Facebook pals (yes, they are everywhere, even in Michigan) have replaced the slang term "going postal" with "going Muslim".

Dearborn Kabob House

La Shish?

My heart goes out to the families that lost loved ones on this terrible day. May the 12 Rest in Peace and be Honored for what they did for the USA.

I noticed they continue to try to link the shooter to 9/11, just because his mother had a funeral at a mosque around the same time that two ALLEGED hijackers attended. Wow, what a connection!

Sorry 13 US Heros ... My mistake!

People are really jumping to conclusions here. I think he was a medical profession that just lost it. He was/is a Major in the US Army. If he really intended on terrorism why go and shot up a center? A lonely private could do that. Since he was/is a Major he probably has access to classified information and could do a lot more damage by deploying a handing over information to terroist.

I noticed they continue to try to link the shooter to 9/11

Heh, I noticed you still seem to have that reading comprehension problem. As anyone can see it seems Imam Anwar al Awlaki is the one that 'links' Major Hasan to terrorism and seems to approve of it as well.

You can see the Imam's words here:

http://www.anwar-alawlaki.com/

From the article:

Awlaki said the only way a Muslim can justify serving in the U.S. military is if he intends to “follow in the footsteps of men like Nidal.”

“Nidal Hassan (sic) is a hero,” Awlaki said. “He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people.”

Two U.S. intelligence officials told The Associated Press the Web site was Awlaki’s. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence collection. Awlaki did not immediately respond to an attempt to contact him through the Web site.

Hasan’s family attended the Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va, where Awlaki was preaching in 2001. Hasan’s mother’s funeral was held at the mosque on May 31, 2001, according to her obituary in the Roanoke Times newspaper, around the same time two 9/11 hijackers worshipped at the mosque and while Awlaki was preaching.

Awlaki said. “He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people.”

The war with the US and Iraq was over quickly. The sectarian violence....Muslim vs. Muslim....is the war that doesn't seem to have an end. If he wanted to help he should have gone to Iraq and helped the US and the international forces put an end to it.

As I wrote the other day, this case has red flags all over it. As a Muslim (whose attitudes seem to have radicalized over time), any fool (including the chain of command) should have been able to see that placing this chap in a position that required him to debrief soldiers returning from active service in Muslim countries was an act paramount to pouring gasoline on a smoldering fire. Indeed, on the slippery slope that is promotion of commissioned officers, why wasn't this guy canned after his evaluations at Walter Reed(?). It seems that for a lot of smart guys, the people in the command chain who persevered in keeping this guy in the army made some really dumb decisions, decisions that should be duly noted in their own personnel files.

With regard to the usual Islamic radical suspects who are lauding the actions of this guy, all I can say is that they should get their own house in order before pointing fingers at the US and its "Crusader" allies. As SuperLib points out, casualties caused by coalition forces operating in Afghanistan and Iraq are dwarfed by the number caused by Muslim on Muslim violence. Then again, nothing changes. The situation was, is and will continue to be FUBAR.

A fair trial should decide clearly whether he is guilty or innocent.

If innocent, they should let him go.

If guilty the judge will decide on an appropriate punishment and appropriate period for reflection. How many years for each life taken?

I feel sorry for the lady who shot him. What a choice! She could have killed him outright. But so many of these nutters top themselves that I guess she wanted to keep him alive so we can all get to the bottom of what he was thinking. Now she is taking flak for not having disposed of him. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

What is "fair?" Is "fair" when lawyers let him off on a technicality?

Well, in a word, yes. It is fair. If the lawyers don't follow proper procedure then how could one consider it to be fair to allow the case to continue?

Hasan is no hero. He is a pig, and not fit for Muslims as pigs are. The dead and wounded are not heroes either. They are simply victims. There is one hero and one heroine, the two officers that brought him down. That they did not kill him is a good thing, but its probably only because landing fatal shots on a target that shoots back is not easily done. They did their jobs well and deserve all praises.

Why is it good that Hasan did not die? Because we will get an explanation rather than all the presumptions. The presumptions are dangerous, and reading posts here, seem to be mostly about politics. I would much prefer to get the truth. I am pretty sick of the calculated presumptions. And I have no doubt that the truth is that Hasan was simply nuts, and whatever crap he comes up with, whether its discrimination, something in Islam he twisted, or somebody looking at him "the wrong way", all it will do is prove how nuts he is.

I can understand some people's concerns about backlash, but how come none of you are equally concerned about some already calling him a hero.. Should we not be concerned about copy cats?

If he is down with the idea of Jihad, and a Jihad against America, should he not be considered a traitor, which carries a harsh penalty?

Sabi, as for him having any type of connections, I'm surprised at you for not finding a Jewish connection. What happened, you are off your game today.

Not up on the US military justice system, however, I think treason would be a pretty hard charge to prove in the current case. With a pile of dead bodies, witnesses, and forensic evidence out the XXX, I would assume that murder charges would be quite easy to prove.

The big question is, however, is whether the US will execute a seemingly radical Muslim, because any way you play it, some people in the Muslim world see this chap as a martyr. Considering this, slotting him on site would have been a lot simpler option. Furthermore, even if this goes to trial, I don't know how much intelligence is to be gained from this nutter, the last thing we want is to give him a podium from which to preach his perverted ideas. Perhaps the US Army should just discharge the chap, then rendition him off to an American ally in the Middle East. If Obama asked nicely, I am sure the Egyptians or the Saudis would get to the bottom of this whole incident, cleaning up the loose ends afterward.

Life in prison at Leavenworth might turn the trick.

Actually the ideal answer as to how to handle his where his courtmartial should take place, and do it away from the glare of publicity and accusations of the possibilty that it was an unfair trail because of that is this.

Have it done at remote military base not located in the States.

GITMO would be perfect since it is a military base for his courtmartial.

Ironic isn't it.

The investigators do have every right to question the suspect. The only thing the lawyer/s can expect is to be present during the questioning. I'm so glad that he survived as well and can speak. Lets just hope he speaks considering people have the right to remain silent.

Ironic isn't it.

What I find ironic is you thinking a hidden trial would be accepted as fair, while a more public trial would be deemed unfair! In case you did not know, Gitmo is anything but a place cutting in our favor. It is a symbol of abuse of power. How could you possibly think the opposite? Was that sarcasm?

I can understand some people's concerns about backlash, but how come none of you are equally concerned about some already calling him a hero

Oh, I cannot tell you how concerned I am that some of those morons will most certainly eat their words, along with some teeth, ... and possibly some lead. Give them a Darwin award!

Well, what I find Ironic, is this administration comes out recently and stated how concerned they are about Christian right wingers in the military.. meaning Anglos of course. While I can understand it, I would say they should be equally concerned about Islamic right wingers too.

Am I really the only one agreeing with Timor that this nutcase should have been snuffed off whilst hasan was on the job?

It would have saved a whole lot of time, money, further right-wing hate/justification of hate towards muslims and a large amount of bandwidth at JT central......

Then again, if he'd been killed on the scene I uess the conspiracy theorists already having a stab here would having a field day.

It would have saved a whole lot of time

We have all the time in the world.

, money,

Hasan will amount to a drop in the bucket of all our money that has been wasted. But this time, we may get something in return.

further right-wing hate/justification of hate towards muslims

That will occur either way. But this way, we have the opportunity of seeing this guy and those like him, not as true Muslims, but mere nuts claiming to be Muslim and even capable of understanding Islam. That opportunity will arise the more he opens his mouth and we talk about it. Much better than him being dead and his nuttiness only guessed at.

not as true Muslims" Well, who are you to say what is and what is not a true Muslim? In another case not too long ago, this board was flying about right wing christians saying alot of vile things - which I supported for the most part. Why the hands off Islam? And, when have we heard about a right wing Christian shooting up a bunch of country men, yet I can recall several cases in recent time, where Muslims have done just that, right in the US and against their own country men. Better yet, when have we heard of any doctor going around and shooting anyone up in the US? If you want to claim he is not a true Muslim, you are going to have a hard time as right now on many, and left leaning news sources, many are calling this guy a hero again, inside the US. This could have been prevented, had people not feared someone like you accusing them of what you are doing here when they see something and are concerned. He should have been trashed in the first case.. but you scared them.

Michael Nehring writes on Facebook: “What says more about America–that we always, ALWAYS manage to refrain from an anti-Muslim backlash, or that progressives are always, ALWAYS, convinced that one is on the way?”

I must say I agreee 100% with the lawyer, turn him loose, unarmed of course, in front of the spouse of one of the murdered soldiers, who is armed of course, and let what happens, happen.

A great quote, suzu1. I'd like to match it with this one from David Warren, writing in The Ottawa Citizen

"For a person with old-fashioned values, and an old-fashioned sense of English word meanings, the reports of the Fort Hood massacre were almost as provoking as what happened there. In the larger view of things, they may be more consequential.

"Let me make that latter point plain. I am saying the words and attitudes conveyed in the reporting of a massacre can be, and in this case are, more consequential than the massacre itself."

and later

"Getting at Islamist cells, to say nothing of lone, self-appointed jihadis within our society, means getting over the false sentimentality that turns a terrorist incident into an "incomprehensible tragedy" when it is not incomprehensible, and not a theatrical event."

"Getting at Islamist cells, to say nothing of lone, self-appointed jihadis within our society, means getting over the false sentimentality that turns a terrorist incident into an "incomprehensible tragedy" when it is not incomprehensible, and not a theatrical event."" Nothings happened yet and until something does, you point is moot!

Madverts,

I don't know. I think having to spend the rest of his life in a military jail (I don't know much about them, but I can't imagine they are very pleasant) thinking about how much he has dishonored his family and his faith is fitting. Plus, as you mentioned, the nutty conspiracy kooks would be having even more of a field day if he had been killed.

timorborder -

Assuming your credentials are valid, did you learn nothing of the US military during your time at Fort Bragg?

Let me help you out, son.

Not everyone on a US installation walks around with loaded weapons. That fact does not give you the right to cast doubt on our marksmanship standards.

A real officer would've known that. Sheesh!

When I think of all the taxpayer money already spent on Hasan and all the taxpayer money that is going to be spent on him, I get very irritated.

Sarge, for once, you and I are in agreement. Hasan's a murderer, plain and simple. Treat him as such.

Kinnuku,

Think of every scumbag you've heard of getting tried and getting life, times that number by 50 for all those you never heard of and that number again for those that were never caught.....

Then give me an estimate cost of housing these a-holes until they snuff it from natural causes.....

Nah...I'm still with Timorborder on this one. Even a golden bullet signed by da Vinci would be worth it.

Junnama

I'm trying to remember if the UCMJ uses hanging or shooting to enforce the death penalty.

Lethal injection.

I would like him to get a fair trial. Fair to middling, anyway.

I would like him to get a fair trial. Fair to middling, anyway.

I suggest it be held at GITMO it would keep the media away.

could you imagine if the lawyer for that nazi guy who shot the museum in DC made such a request, he killed 13 times less people than this guy did.

we’re just going to protect all of his rights,” Galligan said.

The only rights this Islamoterrorist should be given is the right to a speedy trial followed by an even speedier execution.

Can they protect his right to life?

nandakandamanda

He put his "right to life" in serious jeopardy when he "allegedly" pulled the trigger and let out over 40 rounds of hot metal into a mass of humanity.

This incident is a reminder that elections have consequences. The Obama Justice Department halted an FBI investigation of Hasan. As Newsweek's Michael Isikoff noted:

Senior federal investigators confirmed Tuesday night that since last December, the FBI monitored from 10 to 20 “communications” between suspected Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan and an overseas terror suspect known for preaching violence and expressing sympathy for Al Qaeda.

But although an FBI-led task force undertook an “assessment” of the Army psychiatrist as a result of those contacts, counter-terror officials concluded earlier this year that Hasan’s communications with the terror suspect were “protected” by “free speech” and did not warrant opening up a criminal investigation of him, the investigators said.

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/archive/2009/11/09/fbi-counter-terror-officials-were-never-told-about-hasan-s-gun-purchase.aspx

Geez, what changed between December 2008 and early 2009?

Sarge at 09:48 PM JST - 10th November When I think of all the taxpayer money already spent on Hasan and all the taxpayer money that is going to be spent on him, I get very irritated.

I know I know after 8 years of not using that little called Due Process from that paper (yes the Constitution) that the right hates. We the people have to go through the steps and see if the people can find him guilty.

Hell if the last administration was still in office they would have just shipped him off to Gitmo. But by doing that we lose our rights that we hold so dear.

So let's take him to court, find him guilty of treason and hang him.

To help the r and far right here, below is an explanation of Due Process. I hope your heads do not spin off, but it is in our Constitution.

Generally, due process guarantees the following:

* Right to a fair and public trial conducted in a competent manner * Right to be present at the trial * Right to an impartial jury * Right to be heard in one's own defense * Laws must be written so that a reasonable person can understand what is criminal behavior * Taxes may only be taken for public purposes * Property may be taken by the government only for public purposes * Owners of taken property must be fairly compensated

The real question is who will prosecute Military (UCMJ article 118) or Federal? I think they will run with Federal.

Suzu1, your post reads like "he was investigated but he wasn't investigated." Pretty silly. They investigated him and determined he was not a terrorist threat. They were correct. Had they investigated further, what did you expect them to find? The words "I will shoot my fellow soldiers in November 2009" tatooed in red ink on his buttocks??

num: you should read suzu1's link. It does leave one with a question mark. And what he is trying to convey is far from silly.

skipthesong, sorry, the blog failed to impress. An upgraded investigation would have revealed nothing. Its not like the FBI does not have similar cases to investigate, they do. In fact, they have far more important cases to investigate, some that may actually involve what they are looking for: terrorist activity. Frankly, any nut with a gun could open fire anywhere in the U.S. And they do. And there usually isn't any advance warning even if you gave the shooter a full rectal examination prior and doing so would be a collosal waste of time. This little flaw does not mean much even with your 20/20 hindsight goggles on.

And in case you don't know, gun purchases are a right of citizens in the U.S. for some reason.

There is a gamble looming on the horizon here, one that has to some degree already been decided. What will this lunatic say in court in his defence? We might all be very lucky and he might just be a total raving madman and that is not going to be seen as a propaganda victory to the extremists, on the other hand he might just use his day(s) in court to put across an argument that could lead to more such shootings.

Had the police woman not been already injured she might have got off a better shot and avoided this, but then as some have said this would have left the conspiracy nuts free to ramble on. Perhaps the best direction for the US to take is to prove that this man is simply insane, no, that would not sit well with those that want blood for blood, but it could protect the US from accusations that it failed to give this man a fair trial.

There is also the point that nobody here seems too keen to look at, what if he is a totally insane freak and his connection to Islam is merely coincidental? No, he isn’t going to get to walk away from this, but an insanity plea will help him avoid a death sentence. And then how long before the doctors say he well enough to be freed?

One difficulty here is that his being a Muslim is clouding the issue, and I am sure that his lawyers are going to reason just that, if he were an insane Christian it would be acceptable, however being an insane Muslim might not be as acceptable, and is that justice?

Whatever way you look at this it is a can of worms for the US government and the military.

One final point that some will not wish to think about and certainly not want to admit to, how many of the 13 dead died from “friendly fire”. I genuinely hope none, but I am sure his lawyers are already looking at that too.

Maybe giving the conspiracy nuts their dead killer would have been best.

Numbskull - You appear to miss the fact that the investigation had already shown that Hasan posed a threat due to his comments and contact with Al Qaeda. Further investigation, including surveillance, would have disclosed his purchase of the notorious Belgium-made FN Five-Seven handgun and his mysterious meeting with an unidentified man at his apartment the day before the shootings - the first time he had ever had anyone over. It would have also disclosed what is now being reported - that Hasan had additional contacts with other terror suspects under investigation. The FBI investigation was not stopped because there was no evidence of terror links. It was stopped due to political correctness. The Obama Justice Department officials who felt that contact with Al Qaeda fell under "free speech" need to be identified and drummed out of government service.

Suzu1, you are playing a 20/20 hindsight game of mix and match. The investigation was stopped because it had run its course. It might have continued if his gun purchase was relayed to the proper authorities. But the rules that prevented that pre-date the Obama administration.

Yet, you try to tie this to the Obama admin. right at the beginning of your earlier post! Its not even clear exactly when the investigation stopped. All that blog says is "earlier this year". Yet you don't hesitate to blame the Obama admin! You are trying, way too hard, to make a case.

It was stopped due to political correctness.

Bullcrap! Neither first amendment rights nor second amendment rights are "political correctness". His right to privacy, fouth amendment rights were already well violated. WTF more do you want?

The failure here was not the FBI. The failure here was the military who had every reason to think this guy a total nutjob and did nothing about him. PC might have been the failing of the military, but not of the FBI and its not a failing of the Bill of Rights!

I want the guy to live to hear what he has to say. Maybe lives can be saved in the future...

How can an investigation have "run its course" when it disclosed that the subject was in contact with a known Al Qaeda facilitator. Good grief! That is exactly when increased surveillance and monitoring should have been put into place. There didn't have to be a criminal probe opened - this all could have been conducted under the intelligence gathering activity the FBI conducts everyday on potential extremists. Hasan was most certainly the beneficiary of political correctness - for example the reluctance cited by officers in making a complaint about him due to fear of being seen as discriminatory against a Muslim. Also the way in which the medical department tolerated his refusal to be in a group photo because there were women in it as well. Of course the decision was made under the Obama Administration. If it had occured in that narrow window between Jan 1 and Jan 20, the mass media would be all over the Bush Administration.

How can an investigation have "run its course" when it disclosed that the subject was in contact with a known Al Qaeda facilitator. Good grief!

Good grief indeed! They determined he was not a terrorist threat and by the facts we know even after the event, it still looks like that is correct. It looks like he was a lone whacko in a shooting spree, not a cog in the wheels of al-Quaida planned machinations.

Hasan was most certainly the beneficiary of political correctness - for example the reluctance cited by officers in making a complaint about him due to fear of being seen as discriminatory against a Muslim.

You are playing mix and match. Before you said the PC was from the FBI. Now its the officers. And it was not PC. It was PC gone mad. Nobody said not to report a nut or keep him around because he is Muslim!

If it had occured in that narrow window between Jan 1 and Jan 20, the mass media would be all over the Bush Administration.

Is that your excuse? Because somebody else would have been retarded about this? If a majority of Republicans are thinking like you, they won't be taking back the WH in 2012!

Point is that the investigation was halted by the PC police, he went to a koran seminar and said nonbelievers should be beheaded in front of his peers and once again the pc police stepped in and did nothing then he confronted his commander about his radical beliefs, received a flunking officer rating and was allowed to continue to practice after trying to involve his patients in his radical beliefs. There were all kinds of red flags that were ignored all around this guy. He could have told people he was going to do this exact thing and it might actually come out in the investigation that he in fact did so and no one said anything out of fear of being labeled by the PC police. This guy went on a shooting spree praising allah what more do you need? In his court case he will gleefully admit what he did and why because those guys are proud of doing these kinds of things. He should be treated as a service member who killed on behalf of the enemy during a war because thats exactly what he did.

What a mess!