Missed Warnings: Lessons from the Fort Hood Mass Shooting

Attack Profile

In 2009, Major Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 32 others during a mass shooting in Fort Hood, Texas, the deadliest mass shooting at a US military base. The incident prompted investigations by the Department of Defense, the FBI, and the US Congress, which identified significant shortcomings in how warning signs of Hasan's radicalization were handled. For instance, despite Hasan openly discussing a perceived conflict between Islam and US military actions, coupled with his poor job performance, no preventive measures were taken in response to his conduct. Despite calls from survivors and family members of the victims, the US government chose not to classify the Fort Hood shooting as an act of terrorism.

In this profile, we’ll estimate the costs of the shooting and analyze how Hasan financially prepared for the attack.

Image generated by OpenAI’s Dall-E

Attack Details

At approximately 1 p.m. on November 5, 2009, army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan arrived at Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Processing Center, a base where military members underwent medical examinations before their deployment to Afghanistan. As Hasan aimed to isolate civilians from military targets, he first misled a civilian contractor by claiming there was a fake emergency to make her leave the area. Hasan then commenced his assault by shouting “Allahu akbar,” and targeting soldiers using a high-powered handgun equipped with laser sights. After clearing one room, he moved to an auditorium where a ceremony was being held. He refrained from shooting because he couldn’t distinguish between soldiers and civilians in the graduation attire. While attempting to return to his initial location, Hasan was shot by police and became paralyzed, ending the attack. The entire shooting, during which more than 200 shots were fired, lasted under 30 minutes.