AWOL soldier suspected of plotting attack on Fort Hood makes Waco court appearance, references 2009 killings
By Kirsten Crow
Tribune-Herald staff writer
As Naser Jason Abdo was led away from his first appearance in a federal court, he turned to the rows of journalists in the audience, saying, “Nidal Hasan, Fort Hood, 2009.”
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Naser Abdo
Associated Press photo
The 21-year-old AWOL soldier, arrested Thursday after authorities found what were described as firearms and bomb-making materials in Abdo’s Killeen hotel room, is accused of plotting an attack on Fort Hood, less than two years after an assault on the installation ended with 13 dead and 32 wounded.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey C. Manske has ordered Abdo be detained in a federal jail. He is charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device in connection with a bomb plot and an unrelated charge of possession of child pornography.
Abdo appeared in court without an attorney. Manske has appointed Keith Dorsett as his public defender.
Abdo showed no emotion as he was taken into the courtroom in a shackles and a white jumpsuit, flanked by U.S. Marshals. When the judge entered the courtroom, Abdo had to be prodded to stand, and was eventually forced to his feet by three federal agents.
As he was led out of the courtroom after the brief hearing, Abdo looked back at the audience, composed of more than a dozen members of area and national media.
Although it’s unclear what exactly he said, it is believed he stated: “Abeer Qassim al-Janabi, Iraq, 2006. Nidal Hassan, Fort Hood, 2009.”
It is believed he was referencing the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Mahmoudiya, Iraq, in March 2006. Former Army Pfc. Steven Dale Green was convicted in her murder, as well as the murder of the girl’s family, in May 2009.
Considered the worst of mass shooting on a U.S. military installation, Maj. Nidal Hasan is currently facing 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the Nov. 5, 2009, attack.
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