Ft. Hood Gunman Can't Argue He Defended Taliban

Army Maj. Nidal Hasan will not be allowed to argue in his defense that he committed his 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas — which killed 13 and wounded dozens more — to protect Taliban leaders. The former Army psychiatrist, who is representing himself at his court-martial, faces the death penalty if he is convicted in the shootings. He had maintained he opened fire as part of a premeditated "defense of others" to safeguard Taliban leaders in Afghanistan from U.S. military attacks. But a judge found Friday that Hasan's argument "fails as a matter of law" and said the legitimacy of U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan is "a non-justiciable political question not before the court," adding that none of the shooting victims "posed an immediate threat to those in Afghanistan." Hasan wants a three-month delay in his court-martial. He heads back to court for a hearing Tuesday.

Contact Us