2009+Fort+Hood+Shooting

=Goals= Nidal Malik Hasan, while not being directly associated with any formal terrorist organizations, is reported as having tendencies toward radical Islam. After the shooting, Hasan was discovered to have exchanged e-mails with Al Qaeda member Anwar al-Awlaki. The shooting at Fort Hood occurred under a month before his pending deployment to Afghanistan. Al-Awlaki praised the attack, citing the base's military importance to the United States.

=Impact of Religion= Hasan expressed his support for Islamic extremism shortly before the shooting. His superiors reported this behavior. He has deep respect for al-Awlaki's teaching. All of these factors of fundamental Islamic faith contributed to his extreme actions.