Army Doctor Nidal Malik Hasan Allegedly Kills 13 at Fort Hood

Nov. 6, 2009 — -- Thirteen people died and 30 were wounded at a Texas military post in a shooting rampage that officials believe was carried out by an Army psychiatrist who was about to be deployed to Iraq.

The suspected gunman has been identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Hasan would have been deployed to Iraq later this month, an Army official said.

It would have been his first deployment, two sources told ABC News.

Hasan is believed to be of Palestinian origin: His grandfather moved to the United States in the 1940s. One of Hasan's two brothers recently moved to Ramallah and works in the West Bank, the sources said. Hasan's family is said to own a number of apartments in Ramallah.

The family has refused to speak to reporters, but a person close to the family told ABC News that Hasan had told his family he was unhappy about his impending deployment abroad.

The person also said that all three brothers -- a lawyer, a professor and a psychiatrist -- are well educated. They lost both parents to cancer. Hasan's mother came from al Bireh, a Palestinian town close to Ramallah. She was traumatized by her experience in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, when she was 15, according to the source.

Hasan was initially reported to have been killed in the Fort Hood attack but Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone told a late-night news conference that the suspect was wounded and in custody. Cone declined to comment on Hasan's medical condition was but said he was expected to live.

Hasan has not spoken to authorities, Cone said.

Two other soldiers were taken into custody but were later released.

Hasan's cousin, Nader Hasan, issued a statement late Thursday. "We are shocked and saddened by the terrible events at Fort Hood today. We send the families of the victims our most heartfelt sympathies," the statement read.

"Nidal was an American citizen. He was born in Arlington, Va., and raised here in America. ... Our family loves America. We are proud of our country, and saddened by today's tragedy."

Hasan allegedly opened fire and killed 13 people on the post before he was shot several times. Among the wounded was a female police officer who exchanged gunfire with Hasan.

Cone called the attack "a terrible tragedy, stunning." He said the community was "absolutely devastated."