‘Gentle’ Army psychiatrist displayed worrisome signs

Investigators worked doggedly Friday to piece together what apparently drove an Army psychiatrist to open fire on his comrades at Fort Hood in Texas.

While they searched for clues, a conflicting portrait of the accused shooter, Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Arlington native, has continued to emerge. On the one hand, he has been described by some as a gentle man who was involved in his mosque’s charitable endeavors and spoke little of America’s conflicts abroad; but there also seemed to be worrisome signs.

A neighbor said Maj. Hasan, who on Friday night remained hospitalized and unconscious, recently had given away his possessions. Maj. Hasan also may have written an Internet post that praised the heroism of Muslim suicide bombers; and he also was apparently sharply critical of U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and dreading his upcoming deployment, which reportedly was set for Friday.

Whether any of those elements played a role in Thursday’s shooting, which left 13 dead and 31 wounded, remains a mystery.

There were unconfirmed reports from witnesses that the gunman shouted “Allahu akbar!” - Arabic for “God is great” - before opening fire. Whether he actually said that is still under investigation, officials said.

“We have a suspect,” said Army Secretary John McHugh said. “We have terrible crimes that have been alleged; we have to understand what caused that suspect to act in the way in which he did.”

A civilian police officer, Sgt. Kimberly Munley, was apparently able to stop the rampage when she shot Maj. Hasan four times after she was shot and wounded. Among the dead: a pregnant woman who was preparing to return home, a man who quit a furniture company job to join the military about a year ago and a woman who had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Maj. Hasan was transferred Friday afternoon from Fort Hood to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit.

Maj. Hasan reportedly has not spoken to investigators, who have executed search warrants at his apartment.

The Associated Press reported Friday that Maj. Hasan had legally purchased a gun - a 5.7 mm pistol that was used in the shooting - at a Texas gun store called Guns Galore. The gun has been dubbed a “cop killer” by those who want it off the streets.

The AP also spoke to Maj. Hasan’s neighbors, who said he gave them his belongings and told them goodbye.

Neighbor Patricia Villa said that as recently as the day of the shooting, Maj. Hasan gave her frozen vegetables, an air mattress, T-shirts and a copy of the Koran.

On the day of the shootings, Maj. Hasan also left a voice message to say goodbye to another neighbor, Willie Bell, according to Mr. Bell’s girlfriend, Jaqueline Harris. “He just wanted to thank Willie for being a good friend and thank him for being there for him,” Ms. Harris said. “That was it. We thought it was just a nice message to leave.”

Maj. Hasan also said that it was “nice knowing you, old friend. I’m going to miss you.”

Jose Padilla, the owner of Maj. Hasan’s apartment complex, told the AP that Maj. Hasan gave him notice two weeks ago that he was moving out this week.

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