Hasan: 'I Am the Shooter'

Fort Hood killer makes opening statement, says he's an 'imperfect Muslim'
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 6, 2013 11:51 AM CDT
Hasan: 'I Am the Shooter'
This April 9, 2010 file photo shows Nidal Hasan at the San Antonio to Bell County Jail in Belton, Texas, after the Nov. 5 shooting spree at Fort Hood.   (AP Photo/Bell County Sheriffs Department, File)

Nidal Malik Hasan is going to make things pretty easy on the jury in his murder trial. The Fort Hood shooter is representing himself, and in his opening statement, he made no bones about his guilt. "The evidence will clearly show that I am the shooter," he told the court, according to CNN. "The evidence presented with this trial will show one side. The evidence will also show that I was on the wrong side. I then switched sides." He added that it would also show "that we are imperfect Muslims trying to establish the perfect religion," the AP reports. "I apologize for any mistakes I made in this endeavor."

In his opening statement, military prosecutor Col. Steve Henricks said Hasan was out to "kill as many soldiers as he could." He also said that Hasan had tried to clear the area of civilians, shooting only one who tried to stop him. Hasan had hoped to argue that he shot the men, who were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, in "defense of others," namely the Afghan insurgents, but the judge forbid him to. The trial is taking place under intense security; guards with assault rifles stood outside, and the courthouse was almost entirely hidden by shock-absorbing barriers. (More Nidal Malik Hasan stories.)

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