Ynetnews has the common sense details:
A massacre at a Texas army base that left 13 people dead is increasingly looking like part of a terror conspiracy rather than an act of a lone gunman.
The growing suspicious are related, among other things, to shooter Nidal Malik Hasan’s connection to September 11 terrorists, the funds he is suspected of transferring to Pakistan, and his ties with radical Yemenite cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, associated with al-Qaeda.
By now, officials estimate that these ties were not confined to Hasan’s participation in prayer sessions at Al-Awlaki’s Virginia mosque and “spiritual advice”. While emails exchanges between the two initially focused on religious matters, they later shifted to discussion of financial transfers for operational aims, the Washington Post reported Saturday.
‘Significant evidence’
The paper based its report on FBI sources who estimate that the email exchanges point to a terror conspiracy. According to the sources, the ties between Hasan and Awlaki grew closer in recent months and involved discussions regarding the secret transfer of money and other means in order to translate plans into actions.
According to the report, Hasan asked for deliveries of less than $10,000, so he would not be obligated to report them to the army.
Interesting that the piece references the FBI as the source for the terror conspiracy angle. My perusal of news outlets seems to contradict those sources though admittedly, much of what I’m seeing as to what the FBI is saying is somewhat dated:
Hasan came to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in December 2008 as part of an investigation being conducted by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which include agencies such as the FBI, Defense Department and state and local law enforcement, according to the FBI.
The task forces are supposed to “bring investigators and analysts into a collaborative, information-sharing environment in order to maximize the collective impact of the respective agencies,” according to an FBI statement.
Information can only be distributed outside a task force with approval of the group’s FBI supervisor.
“In this case, following the review and analysis conducted by investigators, there was a conclusion made by the investigator and the supervisor that Major Hasan was not involved in terrorist activities or planning,” according to the Nov. 11 FBI statement. “Further dissemination of the information regarding Major Hasan was neither sought nor authorized.”
In related news, Hasan has been reclassified as a ‘pretrial detainee’:
In a hearing in a San Antonio military hospital room Saturday, the Army obtained a judicial order that places more restrictions on Fort Hood shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and makes it easier for the military to move him from Brooke Army Medical Center pending trial, his lead lawyer said.
But where Hasan might be moved — or when — remained unknown after the closed-door, 90-minute hearing in the intensive care unit, where Hasan is recuperating, retired Army Col. John Galligan said.
Military judge Lt. Col. William Hintze granted the Army’s request to change Hasan’s status to “pretrial detainee” and also found enough probable cause for the 13 charges of premeditated murder to remain against Hasan, Galligan said.
Hasan was charged Nov. 12 in connection with the shootings that left 13 people dead and several others injured at the Soldier Readiness Center at Fort Hood.
“A couple of days ago, he was a restricted patient,” Galligan said. “He is now a confined patient. When the status changes to pretrial confinee, there are consequences.”
Army bars reporters
Galligan said there might be limits on Hasan’s visitations, for example, or that it might lead to the movement of Hasan to a location farther away, making it more difficult for him to be advised by his lawyers.Galligan said it was unclear when Hasan might leave Brooke.
“I’ve asked that the prosecutors delineate those things,” Galligan said.
“There were no immediate clear answers.”
No immediate clear answers largely because clarity is being obfuscated by political correctness and dhimmitude-ness.
Crossposted(*).
