Evans Politics

WASHINGTON (Reuters) 5:39 p.m., November 9, 2009 – U.S. intelligence agencies learned an Army psychiatrist tried to contact people linked to al Qaeda and they gave the information to federal authorities before the man allegedly went on shooting spree in Texas last week, U.S. sources said on Monday.

It is unclear what federal law enforcement authorities did with the information.

Reporting for Reuters, Adam Entous

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Ft. Hood Shooting: Texas army killer linked to Sept. 11 terrorists, Citizens for Legitimate Government, November 9, 2009, by Lori Price, excerpt quoted verbatim, with update from Los Angeles Times:

“Are you ready? Wait for it… it’s good: Fort Hood shooting: Texas army killer linked to September 11 terrorists –Major Nidal Malik Hasan worshipped at a mosque led by a radical imam said to be a “spiritual adviser” to three of the hijackers who attacked America on Sept 11, 2001. 07 Nov 2009 Hasan, the sole suspect in the ['Manchurian Candidate'-style] massacre of 13 fellow US soldiers in Texas, attended the controversial Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in 2001 at the same time as two of the September 11 terrorists, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. His mother’s funeral was held there in May that year. The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and backing terrorist organisations.

“Report: Suspected Fort Hood shooter prayed at same mosque as 9/11 terrorists 08 Nov 2009 Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the U.S. Army psychiatrist accused of shooting dead 13 people and wounding 30 others in Fort Hood, Texas, prayed at the same mosque as two of the September 11 terrorists, according to a report published in the Sunday Telegraph. Hasan attended the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in 2001, at the same time as the two terrorists, and the FBI may investigate whether Hasan met them, the Telegraph reported.”

UPDATE: See Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage, The New York Times, November 8, 2009, by James C. McKinley, Jr., and James Dao.

See Fort Hood shooting suspect’s ties to mosque investigated, Los Angeles Times, November 9, 2009, by Josh Meyer, excerpts quoted verbatim:

Reporting from Washington – The FBI and the Army on Sunday were investigating whether the military psychiatrist suspected in the Ft. Hood shooting rampage had an association with militants at a mosque in Virginia or in cyberspace.

A senior federal law enforcement official said there was no immediate evidence of such a link, nor of any direct connection between the suspected gunman, Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, and terrorist groups or individuals, either in person or online. …But authorities are still scouring “voluminous” hard drives, multiple e-mail accounts and website trails “to see what’s out there, and to see what it all means,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. “There’s a lot of work being done.”

The official said investigators were looking into Hasan’s association with the Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va., in early 2001, about the same time that a radical Islamist prayer leader and two of the Sept. 11 hijackers were there.

The mosque is one of the biggest in the United States, and the official cautioned that thousands of people go there for prayer services and other events. The funeral of Hasan’s mother was held there on May 31, 2001, the Associated Press reported.

… Authorities were focusing aggressively on whether Hasan more recently had been following the fiery online sermons and blog postings of that imam, Anwar al Awlaki, the official said.

Awlaki, a U.S. citizen, left the United States in 2002 and is believed to be in Yemen. He is actively supporting the Islamist jihad, or holy war against the West, through his website.

Early this morning, after Awlaki’s name was publicly linked to Hasan’s, a posting on Awlaki’s site was titled “Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing.”

…The London Telegraph first reported the potential link between Hasan and the mosque.

In recent days, authorities poring over Hasan’s computer, Internet records and multiple e-mail accounts have found evidence that he visited other radical Islamist websites with some frequency, according to several officials familiar with the investigation.

“Obviously, people who visit these websites can be influenced by or affected by them, by the influence of the clerics, as opposed to being directed by them,” said the senior federal law enforcement official. “It goes back to his state of mind.”

Some counter-terrorism officials and experts said that although Hasan’s connections to Awlaki, if any, are unclear, the imam has had a major effect on aspiring violent extremists around the world.

“Awlaki is one of the principal jihadi luminaries for would-be homegrown terrorists,” said Evan Kohlmann, a terrorism consultant for the U.S. and other governments. “His fluency with English, his unabashed advocacy of jihad and mujahideen organizations, and his Web-savvy approach are a powerful combination.”