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WASHINGTON - A US army psychiatrist who opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood Thursday, killing at least 11 people, had complained of harassment by his military colleagues, the man's cousin said.
"He was dealing with some harassment from his military colleagues," Nader Hasan told Fox News.
"I don't think he's ever been disenchanted with the military," he said of the shooter, who has been identified as Nidal Malik Hasan.
"It was the harassment."
"He hired a military attorney to try to have the issue resolved, pay back the government, to get out of the military. He was at the end of trying everything," Hasan said.
Nader Hasan said his cousin had been the target of harassment because of his "Middle Eastern ethnicity," even though he grew up in the United States, including in Virginia, where he attended Virginia Tech university.
"He was born and raised here," Hasan said.
"He never got in any trouble."
Nidal Malik Hasan was set to deploy to Iraq within the month, but his cousin rejected speculation that the major was "afraid of deploying to go to war."
He also said his cousin had not previously exhibited violent tendencies.
"He wasn't somebody who even enjoyed going to the firing range, you know, this wasn't somebody who had that kind of mindset," Hasan said.
"The only thing that we can put together is that he just learned of his deployment."
Hasan was shot after opening fire at the military facility, killing at least 11 people and wounding 31. - AFP/vm
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