August 15, 2012

Earlier this month, MPAC attended a hearing organized by the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, where the findings of the William Webster Commission about the deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.

The hearing featured Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), as well as key witness Mark Giuliano, the FBI’s Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Branch. Wolf provided a brief overview of the Fort Hood attacks, in which Major Nidal Hasan entered the base with two pistols, fatally shooting 13 people and leaving 42 injured. Hasan is now awaiting military trial at Fort Hood base for the premeditated and attempted murders.

With access to formal and informal interviews as well as 10,000 critical FBI documents, the Webster Commission concluded there were shortfalls in FBI information-sharing pertaining to counterterrorism investigations of military personnel, operational policy to follow through on leads, information technology to improve software, and search capabilities on databases and training. Training recommendations refer to use and access to new software and how to train Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) officers on recognizing radical behavior.

The report concluded that there were several instances in which the FBI neglected key warning signs that could have prevented the attack. For instance, the FBI was aware that Anwar Awlaki, the radical Muslim cleric who influenced Hasan, had returned to the U.S. in 2002 after living in London for a year. Awlaki had been under full investigation by the FBI’s Washington Field Office prior to his departure for London. However, his arrest warrant was revoked due to lack of evidence.

Giuliano emphasized that the best methods for such investigations are those that are the least intrusive and allow investigators to take advantage of tools such as databases, Department of Defense files and specific suspect information. The strongest point he made was that the FBI failed to act upon key leads pertaining to the case.

With the report’s recommendations and findings in hand, the Appropriations Committee expressed concern over the balance of civil liberties and preventing future attacks.