As a U.S. Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s job was to help people. But on Nov. 5, 2009, weeks before he was deploying to Afghanistan, Hasan reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” and opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas, killing 13 people and wounding dozens more. Now paralyzed from the waist down after being shot during the attack, he is representing himself in his court-martial, which began on Aug. 6. Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder, leaving him open to the death penalty. As part of his defense, Hasan claims he was protecting the Taliban from the U.S., which he says is at war with Islam. In his opening statement, Hasan admitted, “I am the shooter,” and dozens of witnesses from that day in November 2009 have testified similarly. The trial is expected to last for several weeks.
Field of Dishonor: Famous American Court-Martials
From Bradley Manning and Nidal Hassan to George Custer and Benedict Arnold, a brief history of the nation's most notable military trials