FBI Says No Information that Ft. Hood Shooter Plotted With Others

By Allan Lengel

ticklethewire.com

WASHINGTON – The FBI issued a statement Monday on the Fort Hood, Tex., shooting, saying that “at this point there is no information to indicate Major Malik Nidal Hasan had any co-conspirators or was part of a broader terrorist plot.”

“ The investigation to date has not identified a motive, and a number of possibilities remain under consideration,” the statement said.

At the same time, the Washington Post reported that Hasan, who was hospitalized after being shot multiple times, was in contact via email earlier this year with a radical cleric in Yemen who has been critical of the U.S. for what he sees as a war against Islam.

“U.S. intelligence agencies intercepted between 10 and 20 e-mails from Maj. Nidal M. Hasan to Anwar al-Aulaqi, a U.S. citizen who once was a spiritual leader at the suburban Virginia mosque where Hasan had worshipped, Rep. Peter Hoekstra (Mich.), the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said later Monday,” the Post reported. “Aulaqi responded to Hasan at least twice, Hoekstra said, but he described the responses as “innocent.”

“The FBI dropped an inquiry into the matter after determining that the e-mails did not warrant further investigation, according to a law enforcement official, who spoke under the condition of anonymity,” the Post reported.

Meanwhile, the FBI, in its statement said:

“Major Hasan came to the attention of the FBI in December 2008 as part of an unrelated investigation being conducted by one of our Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs). JTTFs are FBI-led, multi-agency teams made up of FBI agents, other federal investigators—including those from the Department of Defense—and state and local law enforcement officers.

“Investigators on the JTTF reviewed certain communications between Major Hasan and the subject of that investigation and assessed that the content of those communications was consistent with research being conducted by Major Hasan in his position as a psychiatrist at the Walter Reed Medical Center. Because the content of the communications was explainable by his research and nothing else derogatory was found, the JTTF concluded that Major Hasan was not involved in terrorist activities or terrorist planning. Other communications of which the FBI was aware were similar to the ones reviewed by the JTTF.

“Our top priority is to ensure that the person responsible for the Fort Hood shooting is held accountable. The ongoing investigation includes forensic examinations of Major Hasan’s computers and any Internet activity in hopes of gaining insight into his motivation. But the investigation to date indicates that the alleged gunman acted alone and was not part of a broader terrorist plot.”