Free Republic

U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with al Qaeda, two American officials briefed on classified material in the case told ABC News. It is not known whether the intelligence agencies informed the Army that one of its officers was seeking to connect with suspected al Qaeda figures, the officials said. One senior lawmaker said the CIA had, so far, refused to brief the intelligence committees on what, if any, knowledge they had about Hasan's efforts. CIA director Leon Panetta and the Director of National Intelligence, Dennis...

Nidal Malik Hasan, the Muslim Terrorist suspected of killing 13 American soldiers and wounding 29 others at Fort Hood, worshipped at the same mosque as two of the 9/11 terrorists. According to the London Sunday Telegraph, Hasan attended services at the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Va., in 2001 at the same time as Sept. 11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hamzi and Hani Hanjour. Funeral services for Hasan's mother also was held at that mosque. The FBI wants to interrogate Hasan to see if he met or knew al-Hamzi or Hanjour, reports the Telegraph. The imam at the mosque at the...

The President asked that people not jump to conclusions about the incident as an investigation ensues. Washington, D.C. (WiredPRNews.com) – President Barack Obama urged people not to jump to conclusions about the Fort Hood shootings as an official investigation into the matter persists. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), Obama stated Friday that the country was grieving for those killed in the shootings as law enforcement officials investigate the motive for the rampage that left 12 individuals dead and 30 others wounded. Obama is quoted by the AP as stating Friday, “We don’t know all the answers yet. And...

"NEW YORK — A New York City bicycle cabbie who mocked the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl and posted a prayer on the Web calling for the murder of Jews is now sending a "Get Well Soon" message to the suspected Fort Hood gunman, the New York Post reported. Yousef al-Khattab, 41, a radical Muslim in the borough of Queens who runs RevolutionMuslim.com, claims on the site that the soldiers massacred at the Texas base deserved to be massacred, and he insists the victims are in "eternal hellfire." As for the suspected gunman — Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik...

Attackers rammed a burning car into a synagogue in the southern French city of Toulouse, officials have said. The car, packed with a petrol bomb, was set alight and then pushed into the synagogue door by a second car. The building caught fire but a local rabbi and about 12 people caught inside escaped unharmed after Monday's attack. It came as the French defence minister met Jewish and Muslim community leaders to stress the Middle East conflict should not lead to violence in France. Police said they were investigating the attack and had not made any arrests. Molotov cocktails Damage...

TEL AVIV | The threat of an Israeli invasion of the Islamist-ruled Gaza Strip loomed Sunday, with the call up of 6,500 reservists during the second day of an air offensive that sparked global protests and the deepest penetration yet by Palestinian rockets into southern Israel. Israeli bombers targeted 40 smuggling tunnels linking the Gaza Strip to Egypt, while Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Egyptian border police in an attempt to flee the bombing. The death toll approached 300 and demonstrations erupted throughout the Muslim world. The Syrian government broke off indirect peace talks started earlier this year with Israel. A...