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Obama orders report on what government knew about accused Fort Hood shooter

E-mail|Link|Comments () Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor November 12, 2009 12:42 PM

President Obama, who has warned against drawing conclusions about the Fort Hood shooting, wants a report by Nov. 30 on what officials might have known about the suspect, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, before the massacre.

The Army and intelligence agencies have been furiously pointing the finger at each other after revelations that a joint terrorism task force intercepted communications between Hasan and a radical imam who has been calling on Muslims to kill US soldiers and who praised Hasan as a hero after the killings.

The military announced this afternoon that Hasan will be charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder in the military justice system, meaning he could receive the death penalty if convicted.

The White House today released a memo from Obama to the FBI director, the secretary of defense, and the national intelligence director:

"On November 6, 2009, I directed that an immediate inventory be conducted of all intelligence in U.S. Government files that existed prior to November 6, 2009, relevant to the tragic shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, especially anything having to do with the alleged shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, U.S. Army. In addition, I directed an immediate review be initiated to determine how any such intelligence was handled, shared, and acted upon within individual departments and agencies and what intelligence was shared with others. This inventory and review shall be conducted in a manner that does not interfere with the ongoing criminal investigations of the Fort Hood shooting.

"The results of this inventory and review, as well as any recommendations for improvements to procedures and practices, shall be provided to John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, who will serve as the principal point of contact on this matter for the White House. Preliminary results of this review shall be provided by November 30, 2009."

tags Fort Hood shooting, Hasan, Obama

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