Fears of backlash against US Muslims after shooting spree

Major Nidal Malik Hasan was alleged to have shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ before opening fire, killing 13 and wounding 28

President Barack Obama yesterday joined calls from across America for calm amid fears of a backlash in the wake of the shooting spree by a Muslim soldier at Fort Hood that left 13 dead and 28 wounded.

Obama, speaking after being briefed by the FBI, sought to dampen tensions, as did politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties, the military, Muslim associations and the family of the alleged shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

“I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we get all the facts,” Obama said.

The risk of a witchhunt rose yesterday when the commander at the Fort Hood army base in Texas, Lieutenant-General Robert Cone, disclosed that wounded soldiers claimed Hasan had shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ before he opened fire on unarmed soldiers at the base.

The troops, from 12 different units across the US, had been receiving final medical checks before being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hasan, 39, was initially reported by the military to have been shot dead, but hours later officials confirmed he was still alive, though wounded. He was on a ventilator yesterday.

The trained military psychiatrist had been due to be deployed to Afghanistan and had reportedly been desperately trying to get out of it.

As the initial shock of the massacre began to wear off, a bout of national soulsearching began about the mental strain caused to troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular as a result of multiple tours of duty.

Although the vast majority of Muslims in the US are fully integrated, websites on major newspapers’ sites quickly filled with hate mail questioning their loyalty.

There have been a few incidents since September 11 of troops from a Muslim background killing fellow service personnel, but nothing near this scale.

Obama’s call for patience, saying there were still many unanswered questions, was echoed by Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress, and by the Pentagon.

Hasan’s family issued a statement to the media describing the actions of their cousin as “despicable and deplorable”.

Janet Napolitano, the homeland security secretary, joined the calls for patience. “ That investigation is under way by law enforcement authorities, and let’s let that be the number one priority in terms of ascertaining what motivations he had,” she said in a television interview.

Obama, who was yesterday scheduled to visit the Walter Reed military hospital – where coincidentally Hasan had previously worked – ordered flags across the US to be flown at half mast in tribute to the dead. Twelve of the 13 dead were soldiers.

The FBI was yesterday going through Hasan’s apartment and office to see whether there was a clue to his motivation in his computer, or in his phone records.

Investigators were by his bedside, hoping to interview him when he regains conscious. He was hit by four bullets fired by a policewoman, Kimberly Munley, 34, who was wounded in the encounter.

“She happened to encounter the gunman. In an exchange of gunfire, she was wounded, but managed to wound him four times,” Cone said. “It was an amazing performance by this police officer.”

Soldiers said Hasan had two handguns, including a semi-automatic, and shot troops in clusters. Cone said one wounded soldier said later: “I made the mistake of moving and was shot again.”

Questions were raised about why the FBI did not pursue postings on a website from a person identified as Nidal Hasan who appeared to express sympathy for suicide bombings.

Hasan, a Virginian whose parents were Palestinians, worked as a psychiatrist at the Fort Hood base, and before that at Walter Reed, counselling troops suffering from psychological problems after returning from war zones. He heard both what they had suffered and the violence they had inflicted on Iraqis and Afghans.

A neighbour said the usually reclusive Hasan gave away groceries from his kitchen and a Koran before the shootings, saying he was to be deployed abroad and was clearing out his home.

Colonel Steven Braverman, a hospital commander at Fort Hood for whom Hasan worked, said: “He took care of soldiers with behavioural health problems and evaluated people with disabilities. We had no problems with his job performance.”

The number of Muslims in the US military is unknown, as recruits are not obliged to declare religious affiliation. There are only 3,526 declared Muslims in a military force totalling 1.4 million.