Psychiatrist kills 12 at US base
A military psychiatrist went on the rampage at an army base in the US, shooting dead 12 and injuring dozens more.
Armed with a semi-automatic weapon, Major Nadil Malik Hasan entered a station used to ready soldiers for deployment overseas at the Fort Hood compound in Texas and started firing.
Within minutes, a dozen soldiers at the base were dead or left dying from their wounds. At least 31 others - including two civilians - were injured in an attack described by President Barack Obama as a "horrific outburst of violence".
The gunman was shot, but contrary to initial reports he was not killed. The suspect is currently under custody in hospital where he said to be in a stable condition.
It is believed that Major Hasan was shortly to be sent to either Iraq or Afghanistan, something family members said would have been his "worst nightmare".
Nader Hasan, a cousin of Major Hasan, described the suspect as "a good American". He told Fox News that the family was "shocked", adding: "We just found out on the news that he was being deployed, he never even told us.
"We've known for the last four or five years that was probably his worst nightmare. He deals with stories, he would tell us how he would hear thing, horrific things."
Mr Hasan added that his cousin had also complained of being harassed by others in the military.
Army officials refused to speculate on a motive as they began to investigate what could have driven the military mental health expert to apparently go on the rampage.
But Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson confirmed that she had been told by a military source that the army psychiatrist was about to be deployed, although she couldn't say where or when. She added that the suspect had aired grievances against being sent overseas.
