Major Nidal Hasan, the U.S. army psychiatrist charged with the killing of 13 people in a shooting spree at Fort Hood military base in Texas, has faced his first court hearing at the hospital where he is recovering from the injuries sustained during the attack, military officials said Saturday.
According to defense lawyers, a military judge ruled Saturday that Hasan must remain under custody at the military hospital in San Antonio, where he is currently undergoing treatment, until his court martial. They added the doctors at the military hospital have informed Hasan that he has permanent paralysis.
Hasan has been charged with thirteen counts of premeditated murder in connection with the 5th November shooting spree at the Fort Hood base, which left 13 people dead and 31 others injured. Also, the U.S. military has indicated that further charges linked to the shooting may be filed against Hasan later.
Soon after the 5th November shooting spree at the base, Hasan was admitted to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, after being shot four times by civilian police personnel, and is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital under armed guard.
Although the motives behind Hassan's sudden violent behavior is not yet clear, earlier reports indicated that he opposed his imminent deployment to Afghanistan, and wanted to leave the army. Witnesses say that Hasan, a US-born Muslim and army psychiatrist, opened fire at his colleagues at the base without provocation.
Initial FBI investigations into the incident indicated that Hasan "acted alone and was not part of a broader terrorist plot." However, it emerged later that Hasan had maintained regular contacts with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Islamic cleric sympathetic to al-Qaeda, before the shooting.
Earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama had described the shooting incident as a "horrific outburst of violence." He also ordered a review after US intelligence authorities indicated they knew Hasan had regular contacts with Awlaki.
Obama also attended a memorial service held for the victims of the attack, and paid tributes to those killed in the incident. The U.S. President also met privately with the wounded and families of the victims, along with his wife Michelle Obama, and promised that the "killer will be met with justice."
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