8/6/13 Fort Hood accused opens defense with ‘War is an ugly thing’
(Reuters) – Accused Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan said on Tuesday that war is an ugly thing with death and devastation on both sides, in a brief opening statement at his long-awaited trial for killing 13 U.S. soldiers in 2009.
Hasan is representing himself at the trial on the Texas Army base where he opened fire just days before he was to be deployed to Afghanistan, killing 13 people and wounding 32.
Hasan, 42, an American-born Muslim, has said he shot the soldiers to try to stop what he has called a U.S. war on the Muslim religion.