US Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan, accused of killing fellow soldiers at a military base, has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and may face death penalty if convicted, even as President Barack Obama ordered review of intelligence related to the incident.
39-year-old Hasan, a Virginia-born American citizen of Jordanian descent who was also shot several times during the exchange of fire at the military processing centre of the Ford Hood army base on November 5, is being guarded at the Brooke Army Medical Centre, where he is undergoing treatment.
Thirteen people, mostly security personnel, had lost their lives while 38 others were injured in the incident, which was described by Obama as a “horrific outburst of violence.”
Officials said military investigators have charged Hasan with 13 counts of premeditated murder.
Major Hasan will be tried under the military’s court-martial system and prosecutors are likely seek the death penalty.
Meanwhile, President Obama ordered a review of how intelligence agencies handled information they had gathered on the suspect ahead of the incident.
“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,” he said in a statement.
