August 2, 2013 | Quote
Hasan Sends Writings to Fox News Ahead of Fort Hood Shooting Trial
On the eve of his military trial, accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan released seven pages of handwritten and typed documents to Fox News in which he appears to renounce his U.S. citizenship, abandons his military oath as a commissioned officer, and explains his relationship with radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki — the first American targeted for death by the CIA.
Most of the documents also include the acronym “SoA,” which is considered shorthand for “Soldier of Allah.” Hasan's business card, also bearing “SoA,” was found in his Texas apartment after the shooting.
Hasan's attorney for civil matters, John Galligan, verified the authenticity of the documents and the signature, adding that the 42-year-old Army major, who is acting as his own attorney, directed him to provide the writings to Fox News.
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On his relationship with the radical cleric Awlaki, with whom he exchanged emails before the massacre, Hasan also wrote: “He (al-Awlaki) was my teacher, mentor and friend. I hold him in high esteem for trying to educate Muslims about their duties to our creator. May All-Mighty Allah accept his martyrdom.”
“He's clearly saying that he's a homegrown extremist, that he's somebody who identifies with Al Qaeda's ideology,” said Thomas Joscelyn, a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and writer for the Long War Journal. “He's somebody who definitely reached out to an Al Qaeda cleric and who decided he was going to take up Al Qaeda's cause here on American soil.”
In court on Wednesday, the military judge in the case denied the use of three alleged emails between Hasan and al-Awlaki by the prosecution and also declined to impose a gag order on Hasan.