In a fairly under-covered foiled terrorist attack, the Associated Press notes Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, also known as Joseph Anthony Davis, and Walli Mujahidh, also known as Frederick Domingue Jr., have both been jailed pending their trials for planning an attack on a Seattle military recruiting station.
The two were arrested June 22 in an FBI sting after they arrived at a warehouse garage to pick up machine guns Read more
Update: An article at the Army Times documents the “challenges” of Hasan’s defense team, given the weight of evidence against him.
US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, currently charged with murder for the massacre at Fort Hood nearly two years ago, will face the possibility of the death penalty when his case goes to trial. From the official DoD release:
Fort Hood Commander Army Lt. Gen. Donald M. Campbell Jr. will refer the capital murder case against Army Maj. Nidal M. Hasan to a general court-martial for trial, officials at Fort Hood, Texas, said today…
The court-martial in the Hasan case is authorized to consider death Read more
According to a variety of websites (including his own Facebook page), US Army PFC Nasser Abdo was granted status as a conscientious objector. (His case was previously noted.)
Two days later, his discharge was put on hold as he was charged with possession of child pornography as a result of 34 images on his government-issued computer. The criminal investigation has reportedly been going on for months; Abdo claims the charges are part of a continuing pattern of discrimination.
As discussed previously, Michael Weinstein has remained silent during Abdo’s application for discharge (even after Abdo became his “fan” on Facebook) — despite the Read more
Chaplain (MajGen) Douglas Carver, outgoing US Army Chief of Chaplains, led his final National Prayer Breakfast at Fort Hood on April 19th. He focused on the topic of trust.
[Carver] asked the audience to trust in God, as they trust in each other, and as the American public trusts in them.
“Nothing in all of creation can separate you from the love of God,” Read more
A youth ministry group was responsible for the design and creation of a 1,200 pound bronze statue that will soon grace the US Army Chaplain’s School in Fort Jackson, SC:
The statue was designed and created by a group of Fort Hood kids and teens under the direction of Steve Carter, who runs [Fort Hood’s Chapel Ministry] Bob’s Diner, a middle and high school youth ministry group. Weekly Arts Nights are held at the “diner,” where youth explore and create music, drama and art in a faith-based environment.
Carter noted one of the purposes of the design was to highlight the “immediacy” of the Chaplaincy. The statue captures a moment immediately after a battle, in which a Chaplain is able to comfort a grieving Soldier. As has been noted before, Chaplains are literally on the front lines of US military conflicts, serving those who serve.
Read more about Bob’s Diner. Photo credit: Rachel Parks, Fort Hood Public Affairs.
Various news outlets are reporting that the US Army has decided to punish military officers who expressed concern about Maj Nidal Malik Hasan’s behavior and officership — yet continued to give him glowing performance reports.
The Army announced…it will punish nine officers in connection with the Fort Hood shootings for “leadership failures relating to the career of Maj. Hasan.”
The Army statement indicates the officers may still get “due process” in responding to the “severity” of the action against them.
There may be a tragic irony in officers being punished for “failures” that led to Hasan’s conduct — when Hasan himself has yet to even be put on trial. Most websites still say “alleged” with respect to Hasan, giving deference to the mantra of “innocent until proven guilty.”
As previously predicted, the case of US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan has been recommended for a general court martial authorized to impose the death penalty.
The convening authority will make the final determination.
Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the Nov. 5, 2009 attack on troops readying to deploy to Afghanistan.
Multiple news sources reported on the attack in Frankfurt, Germany, that killed two US Air Force airmen and seriously wounded two more. Said President Obama:
“I’m saddened and I am outraged by this attack that took the lives of two Americans and wounded two others. I think the American people are united in expressing our gratitude for the service of those who were lost. I want everybody to understand that we will spare no effort in learning how this outrageous act took place and in working with German authorities to ensure that all of the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
The Airmen were reportedly USAF Security Forces in transit from Lakenheath Read more