KXXV-TV News Channel 25 - Central Texas News and Weather for Waco, Temple, Killeen | Hasan has first hearing in hospital

Hasan has first hearing in hospital

By John Cuoco

SAN ANTONIO -- Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who is charged in the mass shooting at Fort Hood over two weeks ago, had his first court hearing Saturday.

A military magistrate placed Hasan in pretrial confinement, but also said the alleged shooter will remain in a military hospital.

Pretrial confinement means if Hasan is released from the hospital, he could go straight to jail to face murder charges.

"Right now the magistrate has concluded that there was probable cause, he has made a determination that there was a basis for a commander to order someone into pretrial confinement," said Hasan's attorney John Galligan.

Saturday's proceeding were held in Hasan's hospital room.

According to Galligan, Hasan is paralyzed and still in ICU.

"There was no immediate need for the government, the prosecution, or the army to take the step of changing him from a patient to a pretrial confinee," Galligan added.

Hasan has been recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, after suffering four gun shot wounds in the attack that killed 13 people and injured 30 others.

Warning signs like e-mails between Hasan and the radical cleric Anwar Awlaki have prompted several inquiries.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced an investigation into extremism in the military.

The 45-day review requires services to probe how they can prevent any future incidents like the tragedy at Fort Hood.

Some other investigations in this case include:

• The criminal probe
• A review ordered by President Obama into what intelligence agencies knew
• A Senate Judiciary Committee probe
• An investigation by the Senate Homeland Security Committee

A Democratic Senator said Saturday there may be additional e-mails that could have tipped off law enforcement or military officials to the Fort Hood shooter before he went on his rampage.

The government has already intercepted at least 18 of Hasan's e-mails.