Military psychiatrist shoots 13 dead in army base rampage

A MILITARY psychiatrist went on the rampage at an army base in the US, shooting dead 13 and injuring dozens more.

Armed with a semi-automatic weapon, Major Nidal Malik Hasan entered a station used to ready soldiers for deployment overseas at the Fort Hood compound in Texas and started firing.

Within minutes, 13 soldiers at the base were dead or left dying. 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 is 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 the family was "shocked", adding: "We just found out on the news that he was being deployed, he never even told us."

Mr Hasan added that his cousin had 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 go on the rampage, but Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson confirmed that the suspect had aired grievances against being sent overseas.

The shootings began yesterday at around 1:30pm local time (7.30pm GMT) at Fort Hood's readiness centre – a station where soldiers undergo medical checks before being sent overseas.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident three other suspects were detained on the base. But an official from Fort Hood said today they believe that the killings were the result of a single shooter.

The Fort Hood compound – the US's largest military base – was immediately placed under lock down, with all vehicles barred from entering or leaving the complex. It was only declared safe some five hours later.

Mr Obama said: "What we do know is that a number of American soldiers have been killed and even more have been injured in a horrific outburst of violence."

Fort Hood is a sprawling 340 square mile military installation situated 50 miles south of Waco.

At a press conference at Fort Hood, Lt Gen Bob Cone described how in the aftermath of the shooting army members ripped up their uniforms to provide tourniquets and bandages while awaiting emergency services.