Nov 10 2009
The Twisted Story Of The Hasan Massacre – Liberalism Run Amok
In the previous post I speculated that someone put an end to the investigation of Major Hasan once he hit the intelligence trip wires in December – and into 2009. Another ‘theme’ is hitting all the news outlets, which could be a coordinated PR effort by some folks who might be at the epicenter of questions on why the US defenses that held so well under President Bush let one threat through under President Obama.
The New York Time follows suite with the most recent claims:
In a statement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said, “At this point, there is no information to indicate Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan had any co-conspirators or was part of a broader terrorist plot.†The statement concluded that “because the content of the communications was explainable by his research and nothing else was found,†investigators decided “that Major Hasan was not involved in terrorist activities or terrorist planning.â€
OK, here is my suspected timeline from what little is out there now (which means take it with a grain of salt):
- December 2008: Hasan is picked up by NSA monitors on radical Imam al-Awlaki
- NSA passes the lead to FBI who begin an investigation under the new FIS Court rules, It is not clear if all of Hasan’s communications are monitored at this point, but the NSA continues to pick up communications between Hasan and al-Awlaki for months into 2009.
- The Presidency is transition in late January.
- At some point the 90 day monitoring window runs out and the FBI requires a new submission to the FIS Court to continue monitoring Hasan and for the NSA data to keep flowing to the FBI.
- At this point someone decides to stop the investigation, probably because they are a liberal sycophant who always wanted the new FISA rules put in place after 9-11 removed.
- Hasan is notified he is heading to Afghanistan, and starts to seek advice.
- He gets advice to connect with is Islamist roots, and plan to fight back.
- In April 2009 he leaved the DC area and arrives at Fort Hood.
- He slips further into the mindset of a mass killer on a mission from God. I would not be surprised if he needs some final prodding to go through with his heinous act.
- In November 2009 Major Hasan commits an act of terrorism and treason with the Fort Hood Massacre.
I am fairly confident the sequence went something like this because there has been too much detailed information too quickly to be otherwise. The connection between Hasan and al-Awlaki is one thing, but to know within days the man working in Bethesda, MD prayed at the Imam’s mosque in Falls Church, VA (not that close together) means the original investigation was turning up something.
The snippet in my previous post from a post at the Long War Journal is another indication of evidence collected, and dismissed:
• Hasan attended the Dar al Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Va., in 2001 at the same time as two of the 9/11 hijackers.
• Hasan openly praised Anwar al Awlaki, who preached at the Dar al Hijrah in 2001.
• Hasan had direct email communication with Awlaki.
• Hasan openly opposed the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Hasan told coworkers that US troops are legitimate targets both at home and overseas.
• Hasan praised the murder of two US soldiers who were killed outside a recruitment center in Little Rock, Ark., and said more such attacks should occur.
• On a web posting, Hasan said suicide bombings are justified and compared suicide bombers to US soldiers diving on a grenade to save their buddies.
• Hasan casually espoused his radical religious views to colleagues in the course of his work as a medical professional.
• Hasan was disciplined for proselytizing his radical religious views.
That’s a lot of data to collect out of thin air in just a few days. This is information that was gathered over months and should have been a blinking red ‘CAUTION’ light. But somebody with an agenda put an end to the investigation. The question is who did it, when and why.
Smoking Gun Update: I predicted yesterday there would be more news stories and more cracks in the spin as attention focused on how the US national security let its guard down. Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff provides some disturbing new data to the hazy picture of what happened (just recall the notional timeline above):
But although an FBI-led task force undertook an “assessment†of the Army psychiatrist as a result of those contacts, counter-terror officials concluded earlier this year that Hasan’s communications with the terror suspect were “protected†by “free speech†and did not warrant opening up a criminal investigation of him, the investigators said.
Bingo. The timeframe is perfect with the incoming administration (which we all now know is very liberal and willing to take all sorts of risks with American lives and fortunes). And the excuse is right out of MoveOn.org. Â Free speech is protected, that is what the FIS Court is all about – the balance between free speech and protecting Americans from harm. It is why the information is gathered, held closely to protect the individual’s reputation.
There is no harm in monitoring someone who shows the signs of losing his mind and going violent. Whoever called of the surveillance was an Obama official with far left views. Isikoff’s article indicates his ‘government official source’ is trying to turn this into a gun control debate. Of course, he only has this person’s word (who may be trying to cover his ass) as to whether there was no notice of Hasan’s gun purchase.
This is starting to reek of a cover up.
Update: This article at Main Justice notes that the FBI task force investigation was already shut down by the time the gun purchase happened on August 1 – no one was watching the threat at the time to connect the dots. How many deflections have there been? Hasan was picked on, he had pre/post-traumatic stress syndrome and now it is a gun control issue. The continuous trial balloons of diversion are a sign something is going on here.
Update: The Houston Chronicle has a more detailed timeline mirroring my notional one above:
Several U.S. officials said U.S. intelligence agencies first intercepted communications between Hasan and Awlaki starting in late 2008 as a result of another investigation, and that the information was given to one U.S.-based multi-agency Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTFF) and then to another one based at the Washington Field Office because of Hasan’s assignment at the Walter Reed medical center.
The Washington task force, which included FBI agents and Army criminal investigative personnel, launched a probe and determined that Hasan was contacting the radical cleric — who has ties to other al-Qaida-affiliated individuals — “within the context of the doctor’s position and what he was doing at the time, conducting research … on the issues of Muslims in the military and the effects of war in Muslim countries.â€
…
Authorities appear to have been looking for evidence of direction from overseas or communication involving a developing plot, Hoekstra said. “They’re looking for somebody to say, ‘Go,’ “ Hoekstra said.
“But I don’t think that’s the kind of organization (al-Qaida) is trying to set up. They’re more in the world of: ‘If you see an opportunity, take advantage of it, and you don’t have to get it approved at headquarters.’ “
The federal official defended the bureau’s handling of the matter. “The process worked,†the official said. “It was evaluated by one JTTF and sent to another JTTF based on what information they had at the time. More investigation was done, and ultimately a judgment was made that†it did not merit further investigation.
Note how two investigations were initiated. My guess is the first JTTF was out of New York which handles most terrorism cases. But when it hit the JTTF in DC (and got close to the political winds of the new administration) it seems to have discovered some interesting and politically correct reasons to stop the investigation.
I agree with Hoekstra, no one should be only looking for a group of terrorists directed from overseas. There are many more variations of threats out there – as the Ft Hood Massacre illustrates.
Final Update: A fair review of the challenges of detecting a lone wolf killer – which is the other reasonable answer to what happened at Ft Hood.
Great post AJ. You stopped short. I understand you don’t have
proof so I’ll say it for you.
My suspicion which I hold mightily to be likely to be true:
Obama is a muslim jihadist. Why are you surprised?
If anything this happened too soon.
Obama’s presidency is a jihad. The massive spending, the de-nuclearization
the cap n trade, the bio weapons release (phase 2 in the Ukraine)
of pneumonic plague (which AJ posted upon about 10 months ago),
the ignoring of the Iranian nuke program which is almost finished,
the insulting of all our allies, the demise of the dollar –
These are not the innocent mistakes of a neophyte liberal,
this is the intentioned plan to destroy America, once and for all.
This is not a Republican / Democrat issue – this is an American issue.
We have seen “the lone terrorist’ scenario play out all over the world. Why would Hasan be dismissed so easily as fitting that mold? I thought we had experts watching out for us! It seems that we a willing to use any excuse to dismiss the obvious.
My concern here is that the war is spreading to the United States. The pricipal effect of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was to keep the fighting ‘over there’.
We can expect attacks of this nature to not only continue, but to increase. In addition, we can also expect the future attacks to become more organized, involving groups instead of ‘lone wolfs’.
It’s begun!
The Pinnochio Presidente has begun getting Americans killed!
For how long will the liberal press cover for the Liberal presidente and his Liberal Theorists and Fascists in D.C. The FBI and NSA has been hamstrung again by probably the same bad actors who hamstrung us during Clintoon causing 911.
Gorelic and Company should be in jail but instead sat on a commission and whitewashed the findings and so are free to try again at their leftist Theoretical games.
Who will be the adult on the deomcrat side and take the long walk into the Whitehouse where Rham and Axelrod are running the show and say enough, stop now or the light of day will be shown on your farceful reign.
Then go to press with the isidious, odorous facts behind the attacks on the CIA, the handcuffing of the FBI and the NSA.
Lieberman?
Pinnochio showed a lack of any remorse or any degree of humility in addressing the deaths of 13 servicemen and women instead taking time for a shoutout to one of his favored constituencies, a minority group securely in the Dems pockets.
It was an encouragement for other Jihadis to do the same!
Let’s say it is a freedom of speech issue…….. that’s why the surveillance is top secret. So now we will wait until a crime is committed before we apprehend a terrorist? The pre 911 mind set, how did it work before?
A.J. my head is going to explode. When I got to the Isikoff nugget that’s when the alarm bells went off. In my current state I’m afraid to say much more on your nice family friendly site. It goes without saying: fantastic job tracking this issue.
Speaking of culpability and where this stinking, rotten trail is leading, did you see the Drudge headline up now:
ATTORNEY GENERAL WILL SPEAK TO CONTROVERSIAL MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP…
http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/1109/Despite_ban_Holder_to_speak_to_CAIRlinked_group.html
I think Daniel is pretty far out there, I’m not willing to go there yet, but Obama is troubling for sure. There seems to be a pattern emerging that I can’t quite understand. He has appointed a rather troubling guy to DHS high up the ladder. His people have extended their hand to various nefarious figures of Islamic faith. He thought about cutting off British intelligence because of the Libyan fiasco, luckily he didn’t because the Brits found the plot on New York, and then there is this.
Netanyahu Leaves White House with No Comment
(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu left the White House after a one-hour and 40-minute meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama Monday night without speaking to reporters — a rare occurrence. The meeting had been grudgingly scheduled early Sunday morning by the White House just a few hours before Netanyahu was to leave for the U.S. to speak at the 2009 General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America. The ninth-hour appointment was a clear sign that relations between Washington and Jerusalem remain strained; Netanyahu had requested the meeting weeks ago.
Do we really want to treat the Brits and Israel as enemies? It does seem that Obama cuts of his nose to spite his face, is it a plan or ineptitude?
Are there some terrorists who are NOT emotionally disturbed?
We HAVE to keep pushing the truth out there. This is a critical time. We are being asked to deny our realities ( a common occurence with liberal power). We are being abused for a raw political power grab, imho.
This is the.most.self.serving.administration I have ever seen and that includes Nixon,imho.
Off topic, did you all see the WSJ editorial on the truth about healthcare reform?
FTA: “The Obama Administration . . . is creating a new entitlement program, which, once established, will be virtually impossible to rescind.”
“Why are they doing it? Because, according to Mr. Cassidy, ObamaCare serves the twin goals of “making the United States a more equitable country” and furthering the Democrats’ “political calculus.” In other words, the purpose is to further redistribute income by putting health care further under government control, and in the process making the middle class more dependent on government. As the party of government, Democrats will benefit over the long run.”
AJ if point #5 is correct then we need this person(s) head(s) on a platter. They must be held accountable and never be given that kind of responsibility again. And whomever put them in that position should also be outed.
Nicely done, Aj… and… btw… Pass on a Semper Fi to your son today from a 60’s Marine…
“Unreal… Obama On Hasan: He May Have ‘Cracked’ From ‘Stress’
Tuesday, November 10, 2009, 11:58 AM
Jim Hoft
Oh, good grief… He was screaming “Alluha Akar†as he mowed our soldiers down!
BO says US soldier killer Nidal Hasan may have “cracked†because of stress.
He also told Jake Tapper today that he still has not quite decided on whether or not to give our military the reinforcements they need to win in Afghanistan.
ABC News and FOX Nation reported:
Well, look, we — we have seen, in the past, rampages of this sort. And in a country of 300 million people, there are going to be acts of violence that are inexplicable. Even within the extraordinary military that we have — and I think everybody understands how outstanding the young men and women in uniform are under the most severe stress — there are going to be instances in which an individual cracks. I think the questions that we’re asking now and we don’t have yet complete answers to is, is this an individual who’s acting in this way or is it some larger set of actors? You know, what are the motivations? Those are all questions that I think we have to ask ourselves. Until we have these answers buttoned down, I’d rather not comment on it.
When have we had another instance when 13 soldiers were slaughtered by a devout Muslim from a radical mosque screaming “Alluha Akbar†while he shoots them dead?”
http://www.gatewaypundit.firstthings.com
Another btw Aj…
Where’s your Nov 10 plug for Valour-IT?
United States Marines winning handily as expected…
Orders from headquarters… Get over there, people !
.
http://soldiersangels.org/project-valour-it.html
Toes,
Will pass it on to the Lance Corporal
http://biggovernment.com/2009/11/10/chicago-mayor-daley-blames-fort-hood-on-americas-love-of-guns/
So Daley throws in his 2 cents on the issue.
Did anyone read the Jake Tapper interview of Obama? Obama said that he is worried the men and woman he sends to Afghanistan, we must have the right policy. Then he went on to say that it is expensive to send 40,000 more troops, it could cost $50 billion to send additional troops. No wonder he had to pass the health care bill, there will be no money for anything, especially defense.
AJ;
I received this link http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/old/PTTF_ProceedingsReport_05.19.09.pdf page 29 has Hasan”s name as Task Force Participant. It’s dated Jan 30.09. Our question is did fisa come into effect during this time and as a participant if fisa was in effect wouldn’t red flags been raised
Alan
I am so upset that this has happened. But then again, it is surprising there have not been more of these attacks. I fear it will not be the last.
AJ, this is pretty recent – 3 hours ago – from AP. Not sure if you’d seen it or not. Some of it is a rehash but a careful reading yielded a few fresh nuggets, like the name of the internet host that runs al-Awlaki’s website. Also the casual statement that al-Awlaki “is well known among intelligence circles” which I figured out myself before most reporters knew the imam’s name:
See: Blame game erupts over probe of Fort Hood suspect
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ihGepAkECGoDagETVBMpPb3w7Y3gD9BSVJJ00
Sally,
Been watching and cogitating. Will have another post out tomorrow.
Cheers, AJStrata
After listening to Judge on Glenn Beck’s last night, I have to agree with his questions.
Patriot Act…
He commented that Bush wanted these agencies to communicate and work with each other.
But he wonders if Obama, with his inclinations favoring the Muslims and lack of understanding of American exceptionalism, relaxed this or began proceedings to prevent them from communicating and working with each other.
Or he wonders about the different levels of these agencies…whether high levels work together but the lower levels do not.
I add to his wonderment…if these agencies and civilians have become complacent or afraid for reprisals and accusations of racism.
Politically correctness, moral relativism, moral equivalence, et al, need to stop. Diversity and multicultarism have gone too far to ignore and discard the safety of the civil society.