The US Army has charged Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan with killing 13 people in last week’s shooting spree at Fort Hood military base with murder.

A spokesman confirmed Major Hasan, a Muslim born in US of immigrant parents, faced accusations that he killed 13 people during a rampage at Fort Hood in Texas on November 5, the biggest military facility in the world.

The Army is not ruling out bringing future charges and “we are doing everything possible and we are looking at every reason for this shooting,” said Chris Grey, a spokesman for the

Army’s Criminal Investigation Division, speaking at a news conference at Fort Hood.

If convicted of the charges, Hasan will face the death penalty.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has ordered a review of how the intelligence agencies handled information they may have gathered about Hasan following questions about whether US authorities may have missed warning signs about him.

It comes amid accusations that signs of a potential link to Islamic extremism may have been missed.Hasan is currently undergoing treatment at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Concern had been raised by Hasan’s superiors and fellow students at a military medical school prior to the violent outburst.

It has also emerged that a joint terrorism taskforce overseen by the FBI learnt last year of the suspect’s repeated contact with a radical Muslim cleric.

The agency said yesterday that it did not act because it concluded that Hasan was not linked to terrorism.

Source: Herald Scotland