Twelve killed in US Army base shooting rampage (3rd Roundup)

Nov 6, 2009, 3:48 GMT

   Washington - A US Army psychiatrist opened fire on his fellow officers at the Fort Hood military base in Texas on Thursday, killing 12 people and wounding 31 others.

   Contrary to earlier military reports that the assailant had been killed, base commander Lieutenant General Robert Cone said the single shooter who was shot at multiple times was alive, in stable condition and in custody.

   'His death is not imminent,' Cone said.

   Two other soldiers who were taken into custody after the shooting, which took place at about 1930 GMT Thursday, were subsequently released.

   'While this was a terrible tragedy, it could have been a lot worse,' Cone said.

   President Barack Obama called the attack 'tragic' and 'a horrific outburst of violence.'

   'It's difficult enough when we lose these brave Americans in battles overseas,' Obama said. 'It is horrifying that they should come under fire on an Army base on American soil.'

   The gunman was identified as Major Nidal Malik Hasan, 39. Cone said Hasan was armed with two handguns, neither of which was military issue. 'One was a semi-automatic weapon, which might explain his rate of fire,' Cone said.

   None of the victims was armed, the spokesman said. 'We typically don't carry weapons on the base. This is our home.'

   The motive behind the attack that took place in a readiness centre, where soldiers are processed and medically examined before deploying overseas, was undetermined, Cone said.

   Hasan was reportedly upset about his imminent deployment to Iraq and was opposed to the war there, CNN said. A US citizen of Jordanian descent, he was born in Virginia and had never been deployed outside the US.

   He was single and lived alone. A statement released by his cousin, Nader Hasan, said that his family was 'filled with grief for the families of today's victims,' according to CNN.

   'Our family loves America. We are proud of our country, and saddened by today's tragedy,' the statement said.

   Friday was to be marked as a day of mourning at the Fort Hood base, the largest US military installation in the world.

   Fort Hood, which lies about 95 kilometres north of the Texan capital Austin, houses several units that have been deployed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

   More than 40,000 soldiers and their families live on the base.