Possible Terrorist Attack at Ft. Hood TX (UPDATES)
Nov 5th, 2009 | 78 responses
There have been multiple shooting attacks at Fort Hood according to MSNBC, KCEN-TV and KTVT-TV. At least 7 people are dead and 30+ are wounded. One shooter is in custody and 1-2 more are being sought. FBI is on the way. Both the shooters and victims are believed to be military rather than civilians, at least the shooters were wearing military fatigues.
4:30 pm EST: More shots just reported according to MSNBC-TV.
4:40 pm EST per MSNBC: “Two suspects were captured and four swat officers were wounded, NBC News and KCEN, based in Waco, Texas, reported.”
4:48 pm EST per MSNBC: Death toll has gone up to 9 and one of the captured shooters is an Army major with an “Arabic-sounding name.”
4:52 pm: News conference going on now. One shooter reported to have been killed.
4:45 pm: Now I hear that 12 are dead and 31 wounded.
5:01 pm EST: Reportedly the shooters are/were actual US soldiers, not people posing as soldiers.
6:00 pm EST: Suspected gunman, now dead, was Major Malik Nadal Hasan, a recent convert to Islam who was about to be deployed to Iraq and not happy about it.
6:20 pm EST: Hasan was an “Army mental health professional”
6:28 pm EST: Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was promoted to major in May
6:33 pm EST: Reputed to be shooter Hasan’s FB page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1008970609&ref=nf
6:48 pm EST: Photo being shown now on MSNBC does not look like the guy on the FB page. Name is slightly different as well.
9:55 pm EST: Latest press conference from Ft. Hood, Gen. Cone says that Major Hasan is alive and in stable condition. He is currently believed to be the only shooter, the other soldiers who were detained have been released. Terrorism cannot be ruled out or confirmed.
From other sources, there are reports that Major Hasan had been under investigation for Internet posts related to suicide bombings. He is a US citizen, an American-born Muslim of Jordanian descent.
10:15 pm EST: “Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who allegedly killed 11 people before being shot and wounded by police at Fort Hood, had said Muslims should “rise up” and attack Americans in retaliation for the US war in Iraq, a former army colleague said.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6511591/Fort-Hood-shooting-Nidal-Malik-Hasan-said-Muslims-should-rise-up.html
11:26 pm EST: Troubling portrait emerges of shooting suspect: Walter Reed training director said Hasan required extra counseling
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33695256/ns/us_news-military/
78 Responses to “Possible Terrorist Attack at Ft. Hood TX (UPDATES)”
New updates say death toll at nine and may go into double digits.
Twenty plus wounded
Reports do say that shooters (or one of them) were/was wearing uniforms but it is not confirmed that they are military.
Nobody competent is using the “T” word. “Competent” doesn't include Fox News.
“Retired Army Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis told Fox News those at the base are trained for combat and it is not unusual to see armed people there.
“It could be a terror attack, it could be a disenchanted soldiers, it could be a varity of people,” said Maginnis. “
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,572305,00.h…
This is a terrible tragedy for those dead and wounded soldiers. As you can imagine, it is the only thing on the TV or radio right now out here.
Does everything have to turn into a partisan slam? F-off vey9.
Who said anything partisan? I carefully reviewed all the reports from AP plus all the other ones I could find (about 20) and came back telling what I discovered.
No speculation, please. These crazy shootings are always rife with rumor and BS, so let's just focus on the things we CAN do: pray and pray.
11 dead now, including the shooter, who was definitely a US soldier, possibly an officer (not confirmed).
Shit.
This sucks, I have family serving there.
Slain gunman identified as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan….unreal.
12 dead, 31 injured is the latest number I heard. One of the shooters was killed, I think the other one is in custody.
Shannon, I hope your family members are okay. Please let us know when you find out.
Does anyone know where JeffersonDavis is stationed?
Family safe…on base, but safe. My prayers to the lost and injured.
Thank God for that, shannon.
Some fact details I learned reading an ABC news article about the shootings:
Fort Hood is the largest U.S. military installation in the world. It's also suffered the most deaths in Iraq: 483.
Also, a lot of people may have known this, but I did not: Fort Hood is only 60 miles from Austin. So AR really is nearby.
I, too, have lots of friends at Fort Hood. Pretty much everybody who's ever served in the Army and kept in touch with folks does.
A hideous, horrible event. I can hardly wrap my mind around it.
Editing to add: Didn't realize JeffersonDavis was active duty. Hope he's not there. shannonlee — glad your people are safe.
The boyfriend of one of my neighbors is in Texas right now doing military duty. He's been gone for several months, and my neighbor said he would be home in January. He wasn't shipping to Iraq, so hopefully he was not in that building. I just knocked on her door, but there's no answer.
Actually, I missed a step. I don't even know if he is at Fort Hood. I know he's in the military, and in Texas.
Looks like the alleged shoot is Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan (an Army Major) according to CNN. And he was a mental health professional. Wow…
I know, T. That one stunned me as well.
Polimom, I'm pretty sure he is career military. I don't know if that's the same as being active-duty.
Editing to add: And the fact that he is not here in this thread worries me.
See, if the soldiers had been armed, they would have been able to defend themselves…
No, I don't like it that he's not here also. Hopefully he'll pop in soon and reassure us.
One can be career military but retired. Active duty just means currently in active service. If he hasn't said he's retired, then likely he is active duty.
I'm not even sure how to respond to DQ without violating the terms of TMV's commenting rules.
I doubt you would get in much trouble for doing so.
Blow me DQ.
Who the hell do you think shot him? Soldiers.
I hope you die of some hideous, slow, and very painful illness, alone. Soon.
It already was reported that it was an Army Officer that didn't want to get shipped out to war. It's a sad dad. I hope that the remaining survivors and the lost ones families are all right and get the help they need.
Two Voices Blog Crazy
You' re not my type…
I am not sure why you are so offended, I am only telling you what conservatives (NRO & Human Events) told us when there was a similar shooting spree at Virginia Tech…
You are correct DQ.
I remember the argument that ensued after.
DQ, this is not at all similar.
The problem here is the disconnect between how liberals/conservatives view our military. Liberals think they are just like the rest of us. Conservatives put them above us….at least in their minds…lets not get into actual actions.
I once heard a conservative tell a liberal talk show host, either Maher or Stewart, that vets should get better care than the average american….the host couldn't believe it…even asked the con. to say it again, which he did without flinching.
So, to some this is a greater tragedy..much like when a police officer is killed on duty.
AR — stop. Seriously. I, too, was offended by the comment. You can voice it without being crude or hostile. I know you can cuz I've seen you do it.
Exactly the same.
Exactly.
Yes please let's try to keep things relatively cool. Tragedies like this always evoke much emotion. Let's not press each others' buttons, OK?
DQ, this is not at all similar.
Actually, Polimom, there are similarities. The specific details of who, what, where, when, and maybe why are not precisely the same, but what is the same is that a lot of people got killed and even more got injured by a crazed gunman.
DQ's timing may be off, but he does have a point. And Austin's response that it was soldiers who shot him so of course they were armed only underscores that point: Yes, there were weapons available and the soldiers did use them and were able to stop the man — but not before he got off a lot of shots that killed a dozen people (as of now) and injured 31.
The fact that the soldiers were there and had guns and used them did not result in an outcome that was stunningly different from Virginia Tech.
shannonlee, there's some truth to what you say, although you're generalizing too far with the “liberals/conservatives”.
I don't know whether this is the right thread for discussion on this, but it would be a fascinating dialogue on a less-tense post. Because there is definitely a different view of the military from different parts of society.
The title on this should be changed. It is incredibly irresponsible to leave it when the facts show that it was never anything related to terrorism.
This reaction is extraordinarily out of proportion to any offensiveness in what DQ said.
Since reports are suggesting multiple shooters, Kathy, I'm not sure how far down the 'similarity' road this will ultimately go.
But if it turns out that this was just the 'lone crazed gunman' scenario again, then yes, I concede the similarities.
I would also point out that nobody appointed “polimom” den mother.
The very thought is offensive.
Excuse me? WTF are you talking about?
There were three, according to the reports I've heard so far. Some reports said two, but several others said three.
I take your meaning that it's harder to fight back against 3 shooters than 1, but I think there still is a larger point that is not completely unreasonable. Which is, that when an event like this (multiple shootings and killings at random with no apparent or obvious explanation, just shooting everyone in sight) happens, the availability of guns is not necessarily going to prevent a tragic outcome.
Now we're back on calm ground I think. Phew!
I wasn't suggesting that the difference was because it's harder to fight against 3 shooters (though that's certainly true). The reports of more than one shooter changes the scenario radically for me because that indicates that the attack was NOT random. That is what was behind my 'not similar' comment.
Editing — or rather, the targets may have been random, but the attack would not be the same as the lone crazed gunman scenario with multiple people involved. At the very least, it suggests orchestration at some level.
Bruce McQuain has some interesting updates:
http://www.qando.net/?p=5631
Actually, you may be right that the attacks were not random. One of the things Bruce has heard is that the gunman was shooting people he knew.
F_T, *you* are offensive. That remark was completely un-called for.
Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is very real and stays with you for life, but this guy had only been in clinical practice one year. Makes you wonder if this guy had even been to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Looks like he got bad evals at Walter Reed, where he did his “1 year”.
Quack?
No it wasn't.
I find it interesting that the heaviest military loss for Afghanistan and Iraq in one day occurred in Texas, U.S.A…..an attack by another American soldier.
Yes, it is… A wack-job with a gun decided to commit suicide by cop, and kill as many people as possible in the process.
This reaction is extraordinarily out of proportion to any offensiveness in what DQ said.
And I disagree. He wanted a reaction, and I gave it.
I tend towards responding to crudeness with much, much worse crudeness, and to gross insensitivity with much, much worse insensitivity.
This is disconcerting if it turns out to be true. I hope not. No good will come from if it is.