Ft. Hood shooting suspect Nidal Hasan is hospitalized

HOUSTON -- Ft. Hood shooting suspect Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was hospitalized this past weekend at the sprawling Army base about 80 miles north of Austin, Texas, an Army official reported Monday.

Hasan, 42, was hospitalized at the base’s Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center on Saturday, but it was not clear why, Ft. Hood spokesman Chris Haug told the Los Angeles Times on Monday.

[Updated, 9:36 a.m. Sept. 24: Hasan was listed in good condition and was expected to be released within the next 48 hours, a Ft. Hood spokesman said.]

Hasan has been charged with premeditated murder in connection with the killing of 13 people and the wounding of 32 more in a rampage at Ft. Hood on Nov. 5, 2009. He was shot four times in the attack, paralyzing him from the chest down, and now uses a wheelchair.

“His condition is serious,” his former attorney, Col. John Galligan, told the San Antonio Express-News. Galligan has complained in the past about the quality of medical care Hasan has received in custody.

Galligan did not return calls Monday.

Hasan had been housed at Bell County Jail as he awaited his court-martial. The proceedings were originally scheduled to start this month, but have been delayed by appeals. A spokeswoman for the Bell County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the jail, did not return calls Monday.

Hasan and his three attorneys have been fighting efforts by the trial judge to have him shave his full beard before the military trial starts. Hasan, who is Muslim, says that shaving would violate his religious beliefs. The judge and prosecutors maintain that the beard violates Army regulations.

The issue is pending before the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, which is awaiting filings by military prosecutors this week. Proceedings in Hasan’s court-martial have been suspended until the beard issue is resolved.

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