Washington, November 22: During a hearing at a US hospital, a magistrate has ruled that Major Nidal Hasan charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood will be confined until his military trial.
His lawyer John Galligan said Saturday that the judge decided he would not yet be moved from the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he is recovering from gunshot wounds.
The Nov. 5 shooting spree at Fort Hood military base left 12 soldiers and one civilian dead and 43 others injured. Hasan himself was injured by four bullets.
The 39-year-old army psychiatrist has been told he has permanent paralysis, Galligan told the Associated Press.
He added that Hasan has no feeling from the chest down and has limited movement in his arms.
Hasan was shot after the incident in a building where soldiers must go before they are deployed to finalize wills, update vaccinations and get vision and dental screenings.
The major has been under guard at the hospital and military officials have not told him how the pretrial confinement status will change anything, Galligan said.
Saturday’s hearing was closed to the media. Officials at Fort Hood declined to comment.
The accused shooter faces 13 counts of premeditated murder. He will be tried in a military court, and additional charges may be pending. Military prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.
——Agencies