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US Military Tribunal Opens Hearing on Fort Hood Shooting

   VOA News 12 October 2010
   A  television news vehicle undergoes a security check outside the U.S.
   Magistrate  court  where  an  Article 32 hearing for Major Nidal Hasan
   begins 12 Oct 2010 in Fort Hood, Texas

Photo: AP

   A  television news vehicle undergoes a security check outside the U.S.
   Magistrate  court  where  an  Article 32 hearing for Major Nidal Hasan
   begins 12 Oct 2010 in Fort Hood, Texas

   A  U.S. military tribunal has opened a hearing to consider if there is
   enough evidence to try an Army psychiatrist for a deadly shooting at a
   Texas military base last year.
   The  hearing  involving  Major  Nidal Malik Hasan is being held at the
   Fort  Hood Army base, the site of the November 2009 attack that killed
   13 people and wounded 32 others.
   Hasan  has  been  charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32
   counts of attempted murder.  He could face the death penalty.
   The  tribunal  is  expected  to hear dozens of defense and prosecution
   witnesses,  including  those  wounded in the attack.  The proceeding,
   which  is  similar  to  a  civilian grand jury or preliminary hearing,
   could last more than a month.
   Hasan,  who  was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot during
   the attack, is expected to appear at the hearing.
   Witnesses  say  they heard Hasan shout "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God
   is great," just before he opened fire on a group of soldiers preparing
   for their deployments.
   The  officer  has  been  linked  to  radical  U.S.-born  cleric  Anwar
   al-Awlaki, who is based in Yemen.
   A  U.S.  Defense Department investigation after the shootings said the
   Pentagon  was  not  prepared for internal threats and recommended that
   the  military  officers  who  supervised  the suspected gunman be held
   accountable.
   In  its  final  report on the incident, the Pentagon said the military
   must  make sure supervisors have access to soldiers' personnel records
   and be aware of potential workplace violence.  It also recommended an
   expansion of emergency response capabilities at military bases.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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