by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Nov.18, 2009
All Rights Reserved.

                Before 39-year-old Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan went postal Nov. 5 and gunned down 13 comrades injuring 30, his medical colleagues at Walter Reed Medical Center expressed doubts about his mental health.  Calling Hasan’s behavior at his six-year stint at Walter Reed “disconnected, aloof, paranoid, belligerent and schizoid,” a number of compelling red flags prompted the military to take a hard look at whether Hasan went psychotic or performed a calculated terrorist act.  While all indications point toward a garden-variety postal-type killing, Secretary Robert Gates ordered a complete investigation.  Several members of Congress led by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) believe Hasan committed the first terrorist act on U.S. soil since Sept. 11.  President Barack Obama ordered an intelligence review to see what was shared among the FBI, military and law enforcement.

            Reports from Walter Reed Medical Center, where Hasan trained and served six years as an Army psychiatrist, indicated that he had some mental health problems noted by his medical colleagues.  A 2007 Army Superior’s report obtained by the Senate Homeland Security Committee indicated “inappropriately discussing religious topics” and “a pattern of poor judgment and a lack of professionalism.”  Calling the Army’s inaction with respect to Hasan “inexcusable gaps and communication failures at Fort Hood and Walter Reed that might have allowed use to prevent the attack,” the panel’s top Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) demanded a thorough investigation.  Lieberman stated his goal of “correcting the system so that our government can provide the best homeland security possible for the American people,” preventing future attacks.

            Following up on Lieberman’s committee, Gates wants to get to the bottom of whether Hasan acted alone or was part of a larger terrorist plot.  “The shootings at Fort Hood raise a number of troubling questions that demand complete but prompt answers,” said Gates, trying to find out whether Hasan’s act was indeed terrorism. Without tipping his hand, Gates also wants to find out the extent of Islamic infiltration into the U.S. military.  Estimated at between 5,000 to 20,000, current military regulations make it difficult to determine the exact number of Muslims in the Armed Services.  Gate’s investigation aims at determining whether there are others like Hasan both in terms of his radical affiliation and his mental illness.  Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) wants Gates to identify soldiers who “might be threats to their fellow service members,” a tall order when considering all factors.

            When a 2008 FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated Hasan’s e-mail correspondence with radical New Mexico-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, they concluded there were no “red flags.”  They gave Hasan a pass because his contact with al-Awlaki was consistent with his psychiatric research.  Yet they didn’t consider Hasan’s $20,000-$30,000 contribution of foreign Islamic charities believed associated with terrorism.  Despite the Task Force’s findings, Atty. Gen Eric Holder called Hasan’s correspondence “disturbing,” prompting Gates, this week, to call the e-mails “troubling” but cautioning against jumping to conclusions.  That same Task Force report indicated that Hasan told his fellow doctors that Muslim soldiers should be permitted to leave the Army as conscientious objectors rather than fight Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan, hinting at his true loyalty.

            Hasan apparently had no problem as a “conscientious objector” killing 13 U.S. soldiers and wounding 30, apparently not part of his Muslim faith.  That same Task Force reviewed e-mails to al-Awlaki between Dec. 2008 and June 2009, giving a powerful X-ray into Hasan’s mental illness and radical involvement.  “I can’t wait to join you” in the afterlife, read Hasan’s e-mail, according to an unnamed official with top-secret clearance who inspected the documents. “Hasan told al-Awlaki that he couldn’t wait to join him in discussions they would have over non-alcoholic wine in the afterlife,” said the official, revealing Hasan’s psychosis.  Talking about non-alcoholic drinks in the afterlife showed the blurred line between Hasan and reality  “My strength is my financial capabilities,” wrote Hasan to al-Awlaki, referring to his cash contributions to Islamic charities supporting terrorism.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.