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Subscribe to RSSOn the third anniversary of the Fort Hood rampage, 148 victims and family members sued the government Monday for compensation for the attack that authorities say was carried out by an Army psychiatrist.
The shooting at the Army base in Texas killed 13 people and wounded more than two dozen others.
The lawsuit alleging negligence by the government said that the Defense Department is avoiding legal and financial responsibility for the killings by referring to the shootings as "workplace violence" rather than as a terrorist attack.
The group also is suing the estate of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-born Islamic cleric who the victims say inspired the Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Hasan, to carry out the attack. The two men exchanged emails before the shootings.
A year before the attack, the FBI uncovered the communications between Hasan and al-Awlaki, but failed to disclose the information to the Defense Department.
Al-Awlaki was killed in Yemen last year by a U.S. drone strike.
Hasan is awaiting trial and could face the death penalty if convicted.
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The victims and families said the U.S. military knew four years before the Nov. 5, 2009, mass-shooting that the accused killer was a fanatic Islamist extremist who supported jihad, suicide attacks and violence.
The lawsuit attributed the government's alleged inaction to elevating "political correctness" over national security.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Last year, 83 of the victims and family members filed administrative claims that sought $750 million in compensation from the Army. Neal Sher, an attorney for the victims, said the government has "ignored these claims and under the law we really have been left with no choice" but to sue.
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In a conference call with reporters, former Staff Sgt. Shawn N. Manning, who was shot six times by Hasan, said that the terrorism designation sought by the victims would cover the cost of the medical services that he requires. The designation would mean that the wounds the victims suffered qualify as combat-related, resulting in "a huge difference in benefits," said Manning, who was medically discharged from the military about a month ago.
Manning and Sher spoke during a telephone conference call that linked lawsuit participants from several locations.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Nice to see these American families sue the government for their children (soldiers) who have died in battle (yes I said battle). AMERICA!..ridiculous
No sweat. Government will print up a few hundred million dollars and give everybody some. Terrorist will wind up living a long life on the federal tab and float off to his virgins... a hero to all his fellow terrorists. Martyr.
This was not work place violence. It was an act of terrorism against the US military, planned and abetted by a known top terrorist.
The US military knew of the communications between the killer and the terrorist and failed to act, making them negligent and culpable on the basis of their fear of being branded non-compliant to the prevailing PC policies of top military command, government administrators, and the opinion of society, based solely on the killer's ethnicity and religion.
Yes, it was an act of terrorism, he killed Americans (in his head infidels) in the name of Allah, and he shaved prior to commit the act, and now he is pretending he cannot shave because of his religion.
He didn't follow the law of his religion to infiltrate the military, but now he has to abide fully to his religion because he wants to go to "heaven".
These people can't sue according to Obama the enlightened one this was just a neighborhood shooting. Or was it a work place shooting?
No terrorisum here just a little gun fight in the neighborhood kind of like the one Barrack and Michelle did their community @!$%# sturring in. Kind of like the one their going back to after tomorrow.
After all all the terrorist are gone Obama cleaned them all up in one nice swupe.
It wasn't terrorism, it was just a muslim brother playing with a gun LOL
Hasn't the perpetrator of these crimes been "awaiting" execution a little too long now?
This is your new army led by our Comrade in Chief; Obama. Clearly this was a terrorist attack by a muslim terrorist, but Obama's total lack of leadership as our so-called "Commander in Chief" means the victims have no choice but to sue the government who was in theory supposed to support them just so they can receive justice from our "president" who was supposed to defend and support them. Disgusting! I hope they take Barry and his clueless democraps to the cleaners.
If Obama is reelected we can change the term commander in chief to communist in chief.
I don't blame these people because the US government is being very careful about charging this terrorist with a crime. They're playing games about trying him for mass murder by saying that he has to be "clean-shaven" before going to court. This is nonsense as it's just a way to stall proceedings. This terrorist is an American citizen serving our military who should be subjected to what we're trying Americans for when they've harmed those in other countries. It makes no sense about a beard except that they're trying to be politically correct.
He should be stripped of his citizenship (he is naturalized) and should receive a dishonorable discharge.
who's the boss? Obama. and people want to make his president so he can do nothing some more. all he has is a big mouth. and he doesn't care about the military.
What a collosal waste of time. The US government somehow saw it coming? Yeah right.
And Anwar Al-Awlaki is dead, and when he was alive he denied having any contact with the Fort Hood shooter. He didn't mind it happened, but he didn't somehow have a hand in it.
Waste of time. Do we see Afghans sueing the US because Robert Bales murdered whole families while they slept?
All Muslims are of one mind when it comes to infidels.
That goddamn traitor should've been tortured then gut shot and left to crawl around in the dirt.NO MORE MUSLIMS TO THE US! Why bother to sort them out,just no more.That includes the wealthy "royalty" who buy expensive digs.No More!-Except a few highly educated.
Obama made sure not to have Hasan labeled a terrorist and made sure that this case didn't come to trial before the election.