US Barack Obama cautioned a stunned public on Friday against drawing quick conclusions on a shooting rampage by an officer at a Texas military base that killed 13 people.
The president made the comments as the commander of Fort Hood, the US’s largest base for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, quoted witnesses as saying the suspected gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, shouted the Muslim declaration “Allahu Akbar” – God is great – as he opened fire. Speaking at the White House, Mr Obama said: “We don’t know all the answers yet, and I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts.”
Major Hasan, who was shot by a civilian policewoman in the incident, was on Friday unconscious and on a ventilator in custody.
Lieutenant General Robert Cone, base commander, said in television interviews that military officials would interrogate him as soon as possible.
Colonel John Rossi said there were “all indicators of a lone shooter’’. He declined to speculate on motives.
There was, though, speculation Major Hasan might have himself been traumatised in the course of his work counselling soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Amid unconfirmed reports that the American-born officer might have been the target of racial abuse, Muslim and Arab groups expressed concerns at a possible backlash against the community. The Council on American-Islamic Relations held a press conference to condemn the shooting attack and urge calm.
Several Muslim organisations told news media they had already received hate e-mail, and a death threat had been sent to a Texas mosque. Police in Los Angeles said they had put patrols on mosques as a precautionary measure.
Aware that the involvement of a Muslim could put further pressure on a community under the spotlight since the al-Qaeda attacks of 2001, the Association of Patriotic Arab Americans in Military said: “In the aftermath of this terrible tragedy, it is more important than ever that we do not make the same scapegoating and broad-stroke mistakes that were evident in the aftermath of previous tragedies.’’
Major Hasan is an army psychiatrist who was described as an opponent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and who was unwilling to be posted to Iraq.
He had been transferred to Fort Hood this summer from Walter Reed Medical Center, where he was said to have received a poor performance evaluation.
Army officials said Major Hasan had two weapons, including a semi-automatic, and neither was military-issued. They were trying to determine if he had registered them to bring on to base, as required.
The army said Major Hasan opened fire at about 1.30pm on Thursday in a section of the base where soldiers were preparing to be deployed overseas.
Some soldiers said there was low morale at the base, where a high number of suicides have been reported among troops involved in overseas conflicts.
CNN showed on its website footage from a convenience store, where Major Hasan was seen smiling at other customers just hours before the shooting.
