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Major commits mass shooting in a biggest U.S. military base

06 November 2009 08:51 (UTC +04:00)

Authorities identified the suspected gunman as Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who had treated soldiers wounded in foreign wars preparing for foreign deployment at the post.
"Our investigation is ongoing but preliminary reports indicate that there was a single shooter," Lieutenant-General Robert Cone, Fort Hood’s commanding officer, told a news conference. "The shooter is not dead but in custody in stable condition."
Cone said the suspect had been shot multiple times. He had previously said the suspect was killed by police officers during the attack at the biggest military facility in the world.
"He’s not currently speaking to investigators," Cone said of Hasan. Pressed on the suspect’s condition, he said, "I would say his death is not imminent."
Asked if the shootings were a terrorist act, Cone said, "I couldn’t rule that out but ... the evidence does not suggest that."
The Army said the gunman opened fire at about 2:30 p.m. EST at the Soldiers Readiness Processing Center, a group of buildings where soldiers were getting medical check-ups before leaving for overseas deployments.
Cone said the gunman had two weapons, one of them a semi-automatic. "There is no indication that they were military weapons," he said.
It was one of the worst killing sprees ever reported on a U.S. military base. In May, a U.S. soldier at a base in Baghdad shot and killed five fellow soldiers.
Cone said a college graduation ceremony for more than 100 soldiers was being held in an auditorium about 50 yards (meters) away when the shooting started.
"Thanks to the quick reaction of several soldiers, they were able to close off the doors to that auditorium where there were some 600 people inside," Cone said.
"As horrible as this was, I think it could have been much worse," Cone said.
Cone said soldiers as a rule do not carry weapons on the base. Military police and security guards are armed.