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Senior US Senator Joe Lieberman says he plans to open a congressional investigation into last week's deadly shooting at a Texas army base.Mr Lieberman, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, told Fox TV that he wanted to find out whether it was a terrorist attack.

Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim army major, is suspected of killing 13 people.

Mr Lieberman also said he hoped to determine whether the army missed signs that Maj Hasan harboured extreme views.

The 39-year-old army psychiatrist opened fire at the Fort Hood base on Thursday. Besides those killed, 29 people were wounded.

Maj Hasan was shot by a fellow soldier and remains in a coma.

'Rants'

Mr Lierberman said that if Maj Hasan had shown signs of becoming an Islamist radical, the army should have discharged him.




MAJOR NIDAL MALIK HASAN

• Born in US to Palestinian parents
• Joined the army and trained to be a psychiatrist
• Treated soldiers returning from combat zones
• Described as a devout Muslim
• Said to have been unhappy about imminent overseas deployment

Shock and insecurity at Fort Hood

Mardell: No clear motive

Profile: Major Nidal Malik Hasan

US media on Fort Hood shootings

Fears for Muslims in US army

Dealing with stress in military

The Associated Press news agency reports that some of Maj Hasan's colleagues had expressed concern about his growing anger over the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Another army psychiatrist, Val Finnell, told AP he had complained to army administrators about what he considered Maj Hasan's "anti-American" rants.

"In retrospect, I'm not surprised he did it," Mr Finnell said of the shootings.

Investigators are still looking into the motive of the attack.

But Army Chief of Staff George Casey warned against speculation.

He told ABC's This Week programme on Sunday that focusing on Maj Hasan's religion could "heighten the backlash" against all Muslims in the military.

Reports suggested that Maj Hasan, who was due to be sent to Afghanistan, had been increasingly unhappy in the army.

His cousin told US media last week that he had been opposed to his imminent deployment, describing it as his "worst nightmare".

Mr Hasan's cousin also said the gunman had been battling racial harassment because of his "Middle Eastern ethnicity."


Maj Hasan was born in the US of Palestinian parents and has been described as a devout Muslim.