As the news has come out it is clear Maj Hasan was a known terrorist sympathizer and had possible ties to people connected to the 9/11 attacks. When we hear that, it creates questions about why the guy was allowed to remain in the service. I know my first thought was they needed to kick the guy out. The powers that be must have been worried, considering we have heard he was under investigation. So why not do something?
I think the investigators (F.B.I., DOD, whoever) felt like they had a great lead here. Here was a guy who was connected with radical mosques was a true believer and was a Major in the military. If there was a serious sleeper cell in the area, they would want to recruit Hasan and use him to pull off something big. A Major in the US Army would have access and be able to go places terrorists could only dream of even being in the medical field. Armories, bombs, or entry to sensitive areas would all be juicy targets for terrorists. I think Hasan was allowed to run free and do his thing because he was bait. The investigators probably felt it was a matter of time before they would get a lead to a big fish.
If that is the case I can hardly blame them. Let’s face it… Hasan was highly educated and had been in the system for years and had done nothing more than express sympathies for the enemy. Not the type of behavior you would want in an officer and a gentleman but not the profile of a lone gunman. However, the London bombers were also highly educated individuals. In hindsight, there were probably signs we have not heard of yet that might have made us think he was going to do something.
-FOP Vermillion