A retired Army colonel and former military judge at Fort Hood has been hired to represent the officer accused of going on a shooting spree and killing 13 people last week at the Texas military base. John P. Galligan told ABC News today that he has been retained by the family of Major Nidal Malik Hasan and has traveled from his office in Belton, Texas, to San Antonio where Hasan is being treated at the Brooke Army Medical Center.
Galligan said he was aware that Hasan, who was shot several times, was conscious and talking with hospital staff. He said he intends to make sure that Hasan's rights are protected, and to that end has asked federal authorities to stay away from his client. He declined to discuss his client's motives or what his line of defense would be.
"I don't think we really know all of the facts, we don't know what the charges are, we're not even necessarily sure of exactly what the specific jurisdictions" Galligan told ABC News.
While no charges have been filed yet against Hasan, military sources late today confirmed to ABC News that Hasan will be charged and tried in military court, although it still not clear if the trial would be held at Fort Hood or at another military facility.
Prosecutors have also said they have yet to be able to determine a motive for the lethal rampage, although family and acquaintances say Hasan was increasingly religious and had turned against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, Hasan was distressed by the stories told by injured soldiers where he previously worked as a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Hospital, and had recently received word that he was going to be deployed to Afghanistan. |