Tragedy Averted in Fort Hood

shastarocket · Jul 28, 2011

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/07/28/fort.hood.arrest/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

(CNN) -- An AWOL Muslim American Army private arrested near Fort Hood told investigators that he wanted to attack fellow soldiers at the military base, the police chief in Killeen, Texas, said Thursday.

Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo is expected to face federal charges after his arrest, Chief Dennis Baldwin said. Baldwin said that he knew of no other threats to the area and that Abdo had no accomplices, "as far as I know."

FBI agents discovered a bevy of potential bomb-making materials in Abdo's hotel room, FBI spokesman Erik Vasys said. Abdo, 21, refused to deploy to Afghanistan and later went missing from Fort Campbell in Kentucky after being charged with possession of child p*rnography, Vasys said.

After a tip-off from a local gun shop, Killeen police arrested Abdo at a traffic stop Wednesday, Vasys said.

Fort Hood is the Texas military base where a 2009 shooting spree left 13 people dead. Another Muslim American soldier, Nidal Hasan, has been charged in those killings.

"Thanks to quick action by a Texas gun dealer in alerting local police to a suspicious character, and a prompt and vigorous response by the Killeen Police Department, we may well have averted a repeat of the tragic 2009 radical Islamic terror attack on our nation's largest military installation," said Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, the House Army Caucus chairman.

"We now have an example of what works to prevent these type attacks, and as the coming days reveal more details about this attempt, we can determine better ways to thwart similar efforts in the future," Carter said.

Carter's office said Killeen gun dealer Guns Galore, the same store used by Hasan to purchase weapons allegedly used in his attack, tipped off police concerning a "suspicious male" who purchased gunpowder, shotgun ammunition, and a magazine for a semiautomatic handgun.

Greg Ebert, a retired police officer who works at Guns Galore, said a young man showed up in the store Tuesday afternoon and browsed for about 20 minutes. He selected six one-pound canisters of smokeless gunpowder, Ebert said.

Then, Ebert said, the man asked the store owner questions about the nature of smokeless powder.

"That is a red flag for me," Ebert said. "He should know. Why is he buying that much?"

Ebert said the man also picked up one magazine and shotgun shells, and then left in a cab. After discussing the matter at length with the owner, Ebert called police.

The soldier also purchased uniforms with Fort Hood unit patches from a local military surplus store, Carter's office said, citing police.

After Abdo's arrest, police searched his hotel room and backpack and found six pounds of smokeless powder, Christmas lights and battery-operated clocks -- which were apparently intended to create a timing and triggering device -- sugar, shrapnel, a pressure cooker, and shotgun shells that were being dismantled for raw explosives.

The materials were enough to make two bombs, a Department of Defense official told CNN.

In the soldier's backpack, police also found "Islamic extremist literature," a .40-calliber pistol and a shopping list of components for a bomb, a law enforcement official said.

Authorities are still investigating the case. At this point, a law enforcement official told CNN, it's likely that Abdo acted on his own, and no evidence has turned up that links him to a terrorist group.

A statement on the Fort Hood website acknowledged Abdo's arrest but said it had no connection to the base.

It said Abdo had been assigned to Company E of the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team.

"Since he is in the custody of civilian authorities, jurisdiction over any potential new charges is yet to be determined. If returned to military control, he may face additional charges including AWOL," the statement said.

Fort Hood spokesman Chris Haug said base officials have no indication that Abdo ever tried to get onto Fort Hood between the time he went AWOL and the time of his arrest.

Abdo, who joined the infantry in 2009, refused to deploy to Afghanistan on religious grounds and had put in the paperwork to be discharged as a conscientious objector. The Army approved his request, but on May 13, he was charged with possession of child p*rnography on his computer, according to the statement.

At a June 15 hearing, Abdo was recommended for court-martial. He went AWOL after that.

In an interview last year, Abdo said felt compelled to remain true to his faith.

"We have two things that I believe make us American, and that's freedom of religion and freedom of choice," he said.

When he first signed up for the military, Abdo did not think his religion would be an issue. "I was under the impression that I could serve both the U.S. Army and my God simultaneously," he said.

But as his deployment neared, he began to rethink things and eventually worked up the courage to approach his unit and tell them how he felt.

"Islam is a much more peaceful and tolerant religion than it is an aggressive religion," he said. "I don't believe that Islam allows me to operate in any kind of warfare at all, including the U.S. military and any war it partakes in. I believe that our first duty as a Muslim is to serve God."

Hasan, the prime suspect in the 2009 Fort Hood killings, could face the death penalty. His trial is set to begin March 5, 2012.

Witnesses at a preliminary hearing identified Hasan as the man who walked calmly through a medical building on the country's largest military base, shooting and frequently reloading his handgun as he shouted "Allahu akbar," which means "God is great" in Arabic.
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Thank goodness...

rocketsjudoka · Jul 28, 2011

I'm going to wait for more info but I am wondering to what extent Abdo's actions were religiously motivated. It sounds like he was very bitter at the army regarding the child p*rnography charges.

Ender120 · Jul 29, 2011

"Islam is a peaceful religion, that's why I attempted to explode my fellow soldiers."

Sorry, not buying it.

Don't watch child p*rnography, won't get in trouble.

StupidMoniker · Jul 29, 2011

He doesn't think Islam allows him to deploy to Afghanistan, but he does think it allows him to watch child p*rn?

BrownBeast99 · Jul 29, 2011

StupidMoniker said: ↑

He doesn't think Islam allows him to deploy to Afghanistan, but he does think it allows him to watch child p*rn?
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Seriously. Lunatics like him try to justify a reason for their actions by putting it on Islam when they are are not happy with the situation they are in and have witnessed others use Islam as a reason to vent their frustrations. Incidents like these are one of the last things Muslims in America want to hear. Further deteriorates the image of Muslims.

da_juice · Jul 29, 2011

What is it about Fort Hood?

DaDakota · Jul 29, 2011

da_juice said: ↑

What is it about Fort Hood?
Click to expand...

Hmmm, is it the location, or the mixed message of his religion of choice?

DD

JuanValdez · Jul 29, 2011

da_juice said: ↑

What is it about Fort Hood?
Click to expand...

It's a really big base.

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