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POPSFort Hood Suspect Said His Goodbyes Before Rampage
The rampage unfolded at a center where some 300 unarmed soldiers were lined up for vaccines and eye tests. Soldiers reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" " an Arabic phrase for "God is great!" " before opening fire Thursday, said Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the base commander. He said officials had not confirmed Hasan made the comment. Hasan was due to be deployed to Afghanistan to help soldiers with combat stress, a task he'd done stateside with returning soldiers, the Army said. In any event, the major was saying goodbyes and dispensing belongings to neighbors. Jose Padilla, the owner of Hasan's apartment complex, said Hasan gave him notice two weeks ago that he was moving out this week. Earlier this week, Hasan asked Padilla his native language. When Padilla said it was Spanish, Hasan immediately went up to his apartment to get him a Spanish-language Quran. Padilla said Hasan also refused to reclaim his deposit and last month's rent.....
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POPSSuspect Major Hasan Said His Goodbyes Before Rampage
Kim Rosenthal, another neighbor, said Hasan didn't seem too upset by his scratched vehicle, even though it was damaged so badly that he got a new one. "He said it was Ramadan and that he had to forgive people," Rosenthal said. "He forgave him and moved on." Hasan appeared less forgiving to Dr. Val Finnell when they were classmates in a 2007-08 master's public health program at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. He said that at a class presentation by public health students, at which topics like dry cleaning chemicals and house mold were discussed, Hasan talked about U.S. military actions as a war on Islam. Hasan made clear he was a "vociferous opponent" of U.S. wars in Muslim countries, Finnell said. "He made himself a lightning rod for things," Finnell said. "No one picked on him because he was a Muslim." Law enforcement officials said they are trying to confirm if Hasan wrote Internet postings that include his name about suicide....