Inadequate Information Sharing Again Cited as Key Problem

In the recent Fort Hood shooting incident, inadequate information sharing is again being cited as a critical flaw in government strategies to prevent acts of violence. The gunman, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, had come onto the FBI’s radar screen when he established contact with a radical imam believed to have ties to al Qaeda. When Hasan later underwent an FBI background check in the process of purchasing the firearm, which authorities believe he later used to open fire on soldiers at the Fort Hood base, the fact that Hasan was purchasing a gun was not shared with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (led by the FBI). The FBI, meanwhile, has issued a statement that their investigation had concluded that Hasan “was not involved in terrorist activities or terrorist planning.” Additionally, at least one military investigator was involved in that investigation, however, the fact that Hasan was under investigation was not communicated generally to military officials (see this story from ABC); that kind of disclosure beyond the Task Force requires the authorization of the Task Force supervisor from the FBI (see FBI Statement).