Hello from Jihad and the World – a podcast that explores the connection between Western and Islamic cultures. The author is Mark Silinsky of Kensington Security Consulting, where we bring education to national security. Today, we start a 10-part podcast series about the mass murder at Fort Hood, which was a killing in the name of Islam carried out by an American soldier in Texas. The series is called – Rampage – Mass Murder at Fort Hood.

On the afternoon of November 5, 2009, the balding, portly 39-year-old US Army Major Nidal Hasan strolled into Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center. He turned to the only civilian in the waiting area and calmly asked her to leave. Hidden in his clothing were an FN 5-7 pistol with green and red laser sights and a .357 revolver, which he carried as a backup weapon. Also concealed were nearly two dozen magazines, each holding 20 rounds, which he claimed would be enough to ‘accomplish his mission.”

Now inside the Base, he watched soldiers talking and filling out paperwork for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. He shouted "Allahu akbar!" and opened fire on his fellow soldiers, who were completely caught off guard. At first, Private Second Class Alan Carroll chuckled at Hasan’s Arabic shouts. Later, he would say, “I thought he was just joking around.” Another soldier thought it was a paintball game. But soon, heads turned to the pop-pop-pop of firecrackers and then to screams of pain. Unarmed and unsuspecting, Hasan’s victims were defenseless against his brutal attack.

In the chaos, some soldiers realized that they had been struck by bullets only when they saw their own blood. Others recalled the rounds feeling like sledgehammers or baseball bats slamming into them. The shots tumbled through flesh, shattered bones, and ruptured organs. Many of the injured remain haunted by the cries of dying and the acrid smell of the blood.

The first to take a bullet at 21 years old was PFC Najee Hull, who was hit twice in the back and once in the knee. He shuffled into a nearby cubicle and hid. Reservist Dorothy "Dorrie" Carskadon was shot four times while completing paperwork. Both soldiers survived. Coukoulis saw from his hiding spot that Hasan looked at his victims, some of whom “. . . just stood their ground. They didn't flinch and they didn't whimper. They were looking at fate and they knew it."

PFC Kham Xiong, 23, continued his family’s military tradition. During the Vietnam War, his father fought communists in Laos. His younger brother served in the Marines. His 8th-grade teacher recalled, “his greatest attribute was his ability to make everybody smile." Xiong was among the first to be killed at Fort Hood while waiting in line for a flu shot. Soft-spoken and determined, SSGT Amy Sue Krueger had already served in Iraq and was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. Earlier, she explained to her family, “we need more people” to serve there. Hasan shot and killed her.

Trying to make sense of the chaos, soldiers realized that the attacker was wearing an Army uniform. "He's one of ours! He's one of ours!" a female lieutenant yelled as Hasan kept spraying rounds into soldiers. Many of the bullets hit their targets. Twenty-one-year-old PVT Francheska Velez was expecting a baby. “Cheka,” as she was affectionately known, became pregnant in Iraq. Hasan shot her as she pleaded for the life of her unborn child. "My baby! My baby!" were her last words. A generation older than Cheka, LTC Juanita Warman, who was shot in the abdomen, begged to be allowed to tell her family that she loved them. She never got the chance because she died at the scene.

The gunfire continued relentlessly. Witnesses described how Hasan sprayed bullets in a fan-shaped pattern before targeting individual soldiers. Psychiatric nurse CPT Russell Seager requested to be sent to Afghanistan to help emotionally distressed combat personnel. His front-line experience gave him insight into his emotionally traumatized comrades. Now at Fort Hood, CPT Seager tried to save lives by rushing at Hasan, who shot and killed him. Eyewitness SGT Michael Davis said: "The rate of fire was pretty much constant shooting . . . it sounded like an M16." Bright red and green beams from the shooter’s laser gunsight illuminated the dust particles.

Rounds tore through backs, arms, and necks as the wounded crawled for cover. Hasan changed magazines too quickly for anyone to stop him. He had practiced at the range. But some personnel in the Center confronted the shooter. Grizzled senior Michael Grant Cahill, armed with a folding chair, charged at him, and Hasan shot him dead. The 62-year-old took six shots. Posthumously, he was awarded the Army Medal for Valor.

As a boy, soft-spoken Spc. Frederick Greene of Mountain City, TN, was active at Baker’s Gap Baptist Church. A church superintendent said, “He was one of the finest boys you ever saw.” His fellow soldiers called him the Silent Soldier because he never complained and often volunteered to help. Hasan shot him 12 times, and he died. At 19 years old, Aaron Nemelka from West Jordan, Utah, was the youngest to die. Like Frederick Greene, Nemelka was also a man of faith. PFC Nemelka was shot three times while lying on the ground.

SSG Justin Michael DeCrow was the son of a Vietnam War veteran and father to a 13-year-old daughter. He wrestled and played football in high school. But this sturdily built soldier had no defense against the bullets that killed him. MAJ Libardo Eduardo Caraveo, the youngest of seven children from a poor Mexican family that immigrated to Texas when he was a boy, put himself through college and earned a doctorate from the University of Arizona. Deeply patriotic, he pledged, “If God helps me, then I am going to help people.' He died that day on the killing floor. Passionate guitarist PFC Michael Pearson, 21, of Bolingbrook, was shot three times—in the spine and the chest. Surgeons worked desperately to save Pearson, even bringing him back to life twice on the operating table, but he had lost too much blood and died. However, many of those shot survived. SGT Alonzo Lunsford saw the laser train on his face, and he instinctively closed his eyes. He was shot seven times, collapsed to the ground, and started to sing Amazing Grace but could not get past the first verse.

Hasan searched for those hiding. He trained his laser sight on Theodore Coukoulis, who was concealed under a desk. Coukoulis hoped Hasan would shoot him in the back of the head so he could die instantly. Instead, the major moved on, and Coukoulis survived. After Hasan left the building, Coukoulis emerged from his hiding spot and began assisting with triage. Later, he would Describe the wide grin Hasan wore as he gunned down soldiers.

Nurse Shemeka Hairston called 911 for help. She was crouched under a desk at the processing center where the shooting started. “Oh God, help me,” Hairston said as the operator kept asking her for the location of the shooting. She opened her eyes and saw a soldier stand up during a pause in the gunfire. “His eyes got big, and he fell.”

All active-duty soldiers at that time were preparing for deployments to either Iraq or Afghanistan. One of the victims, retired Lt. Col. Randy Lee Royer, was shot in the leg, breaking his femur a few inches above the knee. Royer needed a cane to walk to the stand. He described hiding in a cubicle during the shooting. Unable to walk, he stayed inside the processing center throughout the entire incident. When it was over, he said the building was “deathly quiet.”

Soldiers Down, Shooter Down

Michelle Harper had worked at the center for six years drawing blood. Startled by the gunshots, she turned and saw Michael Pearson fall as he took his last breaths. Along with several others, she dialed 911. Captured on tape, Hasan’s gunshots were heard, as were Pearson’s dying breaths and moans. "Oh, my God! There are a lot of people—15, probably more," cried nurse Kimberly "Regina" Huseman, who also called 911. "He's a soldier! . . . Oh, my God!" Calmly, Major Hasan exited 42003 and reassured surprised civilians that the chaos of screams and gunshots was just an exercise. But he, like many of his victims, would leave Fort Hood on a gurney, near death, and permanently crippled.

After Hasan left, survivors began shouting, "Mass casualty! Mass casualty!" and "Soldiers down! Soldiers down!" SSC Maria Guerra yelled, "You train for this, you train for this, let's go.” Medics and nurses quickly emerged from hiding to help their fallen comrades. A medic marked the foreheads of several dead with the letter D to indicate who needed aid. By coincidence, a documentary filmmaker was there filming a school graduation, but instead, he captured footage of the wounded, using their gowns as makeshift bandages.

PFC Amber Bahr, 19, applied a tourniquet to a soldier and carried him a short distance before realizing she had been shot. The bullet entered her abdomen and exited through her back. She survived. Nurses and medics entered the building and secured the doors to prevent Hasan from reentering. They then turned to the wounded and rushed to help them. Some later remembered that the floor was so soaked with blood it was too slippery to quickly reach the screaming and pleading victims.

Outside, Hasan searched for more soldiers to attack. The police had been compromised, and two officers sped to the scene. Ford Hood police officer SGT Kimberly Munley and her partner started their shift that day by washing their squad car. Responding to urgent calls for help, she arrived at the center to see soldiers shouting, “He’s that way! He’s that way!” She saw Hasan, who aimed his weapon at her. “Then I saw a red flash of a laser cross my eyes. I pulled the hammer back on my weapon to get an accurate shot,” Munley said. “We began to blindly exchange fire.” Hasan was faster to draw, and Munley’s gun jammed. Hasan’s rounds hit her in the hand, thigh, and knee. As she lay wounded on the ground, Hasan kicked away her weapon. But before he could fire a killing shot, Munley’s partner, Mark Todd, shot at Hasan.

Later, Todd recalled, "... he turned and fired a couple of rounds at me. I didn't hear him say a word; he just turned and fired." The two exchanged gunfire, and Hasan was hit by five rounds from Todd, who kicked the pistol out of his hand and placed handcuffs on him as he fell unconscious. Someone yelled, “Shooter down!" Hasan was rushed to a hospital, received treatment, and was later incarcerated. By the end of the shooting, he had fired 146 rounds inside the facility and 68 outside. Blood donation centers in Waco, Killeen, and Scott and White Hospital in Temple became overwhelmed with people donating blood. The list of those murdered and wounded at Fort Hood includes individuals of many different ethnicities, different religions, genders, national origins, and races. Some were soldiers, and some were civilians. All were members of the U.S. Army who were murdered during an Islamist rampage at Fort Hood.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Jihad and the World. If you enjoyed it, please consider subscribing. Next week, we will cover Fort Hood and Killeen, Texas, the last home of Nidal Hasan and those he murdered. If you have firsthand knowledge of the Fort Hood attack, please reach out to us. Our latest book, Cauldron of Terror – Hamas, Israel, and the World, will be available in July 2026. This podcast does not represent the official position of the United States government. Until next time, goodbye from Kensington Security Consulting.

Hello from Jihad and the World – a podcast that explores the connection between Western and Islamic cultures. This is Mark Silinsky of Kensington Security Consulting, where we bring education to national security. Today’s podcast revisits topics discussed in Jihad and the West – Black Flag over Babylon, released ten years ago. Here, we provide brief biographies of two men who were in the news several years ago. Both were Americans who answered the call of Jihad and traveled abroad to fight against the West.

Anwar al Awlaki was born in New Mexico in 1971 to Yemeni parents and moved to Yemen when he was seven. He lived there until he enrolled at Colorado State University, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. His true calling was Islam, and he served as an imam at mosques in California and Virginia, though he was not formally trained in Islamic jurisprudence or qualified as a sheikh. In 1994, he married a cousin from Yemen and worked part-time as an imam at the Denver Islamic Society. He was charismatic and persuasive. He preached on college campuses and aimed to present a positive view of Islam to the world. He ran into trouble after engaging with prostitutes in San Diego. When the FBI started tracking him, they found he visited prostitutes at least seven times and paid up to $400 for sex each time. He preached in mosques in San Diego and Falls Church, Virginia. During investigations into the December 2001 Islamic attacks in the United States, the FBI discovered that three of the hijackers had attended his mosques.

Awlaki left for Britain in September 2001, claiming he felt unsafe in America after the al-Qaeda attacks. He became radicalized and started preaching there. He moved to Yemen in 2004 but was imprisoned on charges of aiding terrorists. During his time in prison, he immersed himself in the writings of the Islamic Brotherhood and devoured the works of Sayyid Qutb, which intensified his fervor. After his release, he headed to Yemen's mountains, where he built his website and propaganda center. U.S. officials believe he shifted from simply inspiring to actively planning terrorism in the West. He definitely inspired Farouk Abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber who failed to detonate explosives on a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day 2009. The group also ramped up its online recruitment efforts, issuing an English-language magazine featuring articles such as "Make a Bomb in Your Mother's Kitchen."

 Inspire features articles about how to harm non-Muslims. One example is from an American, Samir Khan, titled "I am Proud to be a Traitor to America." Khan grew up in North Carolina and New York City. Much of the propaganda was effective because its creators were native Americans who understood social idioms and nuances of American society. Awlaki used references to pop stars like Michael Jackson in his sermons. For other audiences, he quoted Dickens and upscale authors. His message resonated deeply, inspiring the Christmas Day airplane plot and the 2009 Fort Hood shooting by a U.S. Army psychiatrist. Unlike the reclusive and mild-mannered bin Laden, Awlaki was engaging and extroverted. He also had more credibility as a sheikh than bin Laden.

He was involved in planning attacks in Britain, Australia, and the U.S. before he was killed. Security officials believe that al-Qaeda aimed to target London's transportation system, the Sydney Opera House, and New York's Grand Central Station. In November 2009, he inspired U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan, a radicalized soldier, to attack fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. Their correspondence was uncovered by federal law enforcement before the attack, but no action was taken. Some of the September 11 hijackers were inspired by Awlaki. Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, who flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, attended a mosque where he preached.

They include the July 7 bombers in London, who used to meet in a bookstore that sold lectures by Awlaki, and the Canadian terrorists known as the Toronto 18, who plotted to bomb the stock exchange. Court records from 2009 show that three of the five men convicted of plotting to attack soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey, two years earlier, had also been inspired by Awlaki's sermons. His contribution to terrorist strategy helped facilitate numerous, independent, lethal attacks.

Death in Yemen

At age forty, Awlaki was killed by a Predator drone in Yemen in September 2011. Jonathan Evans, head of MI5, labeled him as the West's Public Enemy Number One, noting that Awlaki's involvement with al-Qaeda "is of particular concern given his wide circle of followers in the West, including in the U.K." Attorney General Eric Holder approved Awlaki’s assassination. Other strikes also killed Awlaki’s sixteen-year-old son, Abdulrahman, who, like his father, was born in America. Jude Mohammed, from North Carolina, was killed in a drone attack in Pakistan.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich said that the White House “crossed a dangerous line” and set a troubling precedent for how the U.S. handles terrorism cases. "Mr. Awlaki’s allegedly violent rejection of America was not acceptable in any way. Neither is it acceptable to bypass the Constitution through extrajudicial killings."

Anwar al-Awlaki was a persuasive and influential media figure for militant Islam. The impact of his efforts cannot be mistaken for that of the less convincing Adam Gadahn. Awlaki set a deadly record by directing and inspiring attacks on Western targets. Though he is gone, his legacy persists through social media. His sermons still motivate Muslims willing to kill and sacrifice for their cause. Some continue to do so.

Meet the Beatle - Jihadi John

            This John of the Beatles had very little in common with John Lennon, who sang that the world should give peace a chance. No, this Beatle, whose real name was Mohammed Emwazi, shared only an everyday North English accent with this Jihadist and not much else. So, who was Jihadi John? This John was Mohammed Emwazi, born in Kuwait in 1988, who moved with his family to Kensington, London, when he was six. His father started a new life in London as a taxi driver. In Iraq, he belonged to an outcast tribe as a former Kuwaiti police officer. But he was clever and hardworking, and he became a successful taxi business owner. His son Mohammed was shy and studious. He was also athletic and dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player.

In late adolescence, he turned to religion and enrolled at the University of Westminster, where he studied computer programming and graduated with high marks. At the same time, his intense Islamic radicalism began to develop. Westminster University was filled with radical Islam, and he was part of The London Boys, a network of British and East African Islamist extremists. His younger brother Omar was also an extremist and was linked to what was called the Muslim Mafia.

Dead Man Walking

            Emwazi’s calm persona persisted into early adulthood. In 2009, he relocated to Kuwait and began working for an information technology company, where colleagues described him as conscientious and self-disciplined. However, he had a secret agenda, and MI5 was aware of him. They believe he and other London boys planned to travel to Somalia to join a terrorist group. British intelligence questioned him about his terrorist connections and plans. He told a reporter that he was afraid the British would try to kill him. In his words, "Sometimes I feel like a dead man walking.” He couldn’t go back to Kuwait, and he didn’t want to live in Britain. So, in 2013, he went to Syria.

            In his new home in Syria, he led the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham, also known as ISIS. It was there that he earned the nickname Jihadi John, as one of four Britons with English accents. They were also called the ISIS torture squad, and for good reason. One captive describes his imprisonment, “It was like being under the control of psychopaths and lunatics.” The prison cells were cramped and cold, and prisoners were often shackled. The guards sometimes slept in an adjacent room, and the prisoners’ screams could be heard from rooms away. To their amusement, the guards waterboarded and zapped captives with tasers. Guards enjoyed staging fights among the inmates. The losers were beaten. This was The Fight Club.

            Emwazi was known as a guard, torturer, and killer of Western hostages. He appeared in videos seeming to enjoy the terror and pain he caused his captives. Emwazi began his killing spree in August 2014 when he beheaded American photojournalist James Foley. He recorded this event along with other murders, including those of Steven Sotloff, another American journalist; Peter Kassig, an aid worker; and British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning. He also killed others, mainly Syrian captives, and took pleasure in doing so. In his heavy London accent, he threatened President Obama with mass murder unless he stopped the airstrikes on ISIS targets. The president was not convinced, and he wanted him dead. Death came for the killer in November 2015. Emwazi had become careless in his murderous activities. Some of his routes were too predictable. His signature baseball cap gave him away and allowed British and American intelligence to track and kill him. A Predator missile ended his life. The other Beatles were tried in Western courts and received lengthy prison sentences.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Jihad and the World. Our latest book, Cauldron of Terror – Hamas, Israel, and the World, will be available for purchase in July 2026. This podcast does not reflect the official position of the United States government. Until next time, goodbye from Kensington Security Consulting. 

Welcome to Jihad and the World, a podcast by Mark Silinsky, presented by Kensington Security Consulting, offering education on national security. In this excerpt, we will focus on one incident from October 7 that shocked Israel and parts of the Western world. It was a celebration of violence where a young Hamas operative boasted to his mother, father, and the world about his murders of men, women, and children. This episode is titled, “The Jewish woman is dead.”

October 7, 2023, was a pivotal day in Israeli history. It was not a military operation; it was a massacre with 1,500 Hamas and Jihad terrorists infiltrating Israel to kill as many people as possible. Operatives went house-to-house, killing men, women, and children, sometimes burning entire families alive. In a gruesome ritual, they danced and sang over bodies. One participant in this slaughter was Mahmoud Afana, and one victim was Liraz Assulin.

Mahmoud Afana came to world attention when he called his parents to boast that he had murdered ten Jews. With uncontained joy, he gushed to Mom and Dad that he killed 10 Jews! These are direct words of the exchange.

“Dad… I killed [them] with my own hands. Your son killed Jews.”

The father replies ‘May God protect you.’ The terrorist repeats himself over and over again, then addresses his mother. ‘I swear… I killed 10 with my own hands.’

The terrorist’s mother can only finally muster, ‘May God bring you home safely.’ While the father adds, ‘I wish I was with you.’

Afana underscored, ‘Mum, your son is a hero,’ he insists. ‘Kill, kill, kill!… Open WhatsApp on your phone and see how I killed them.’

This exchange was one of many collected on that day from call recordings, security cameras, Hamas terrorists’ body cameras, victim dashboard cameras, Hamas and victims’ social media accounts, and cellphone videos taken by terrorists, victims, and first responders. Israeli authorities crafted a documentary mixed with these exchanges and showed it to journalists. Later, Israel showed it to the United Nations. The disturbing conversation in which Afana repeatedly boasted about his killings became public two and a half weeks after the massacre, when it was presented during a United Nations Security Council session.

And what about his victims? They did not capture the headlines worldwide. This author cannot verify whether Afana killed 10 Jews, 5, or 15. His claim might have been mostly bragging, but it is very likely that he killed some, including Liraz Assulin. The 38-year-old woman was dancing and enjoying the pulsating music at the Nova Festival when a Hamas operative shot and killed her. Then, Assulin acquired her cell phone. Did he kill her himself, or was she dead or dying when he took her phone? We will probably never know. We do know that he gleefully participated in the mass shooting at the festival. We also know that Liraz Assulin had a full life, mourned by those who knew her.

With her friends, she went to Nova and never came back. For several days, her fate was unknown. Was she alive and kidnapped or dead and unidentified? On 9 October, her body was found. Who was she? She was single, had no children, and had five siblings. She was a CPA and an MBA, served as head of accounting at the Neto Group, and, in addition, acted as a board member of Tamar Water Consortium. Liraz was known for saying “Always be smiling” and “Life is good.” On the day of her death, her sister called her to see if she was alive. She was not, and her probable killer had her phone. Afana answered her sister’s call by saying, “The Jewish woman is dead.” Her killer would die, too, by an Israeli airstrike, nearly two years later

Remembering her life and death, someone remarked, “She will always be remembered as a blessing, someone who cherished life. Mahmoud, meanwhile, has now joined the ranks of Goliath, Haman, Titus, Hitler, and Sinwar—all of whom sought to wipe out the Jewish people, and all of whom failed. Never forget how this ugly war began: with an attack on those who cherish life by those who worship death. This is a battle between good and evil, and good will prevail. Liraz, may you rest in the palm of God. May the angels carry to you the news: justice has been served.”

` This concludes a profile from "Cauldron of Terror Gaza, Hamas, Israel, and the World," by Mark Silinsky, published by Pen and Sword. If you enjoyed this, please consider subscribing to continue listening to this podcast. The book will be available for purchase in early spring 2026. This reading does not represent the official position of any agency or individual within the United States government. On behalf of Kensington Security Consulting, thank you for listening.

Who was Moshe Dayan? Yossi Argaman, an Israeli military historian, offered, "In all the years of Israel's history, there has not existed a military hero or dominant figure like him. Moshe Dayan symbolized the national and military rebirth and the revitalization of Jewish strength, the myth of the Jewish fighter. He climbed so high that he became a kind of god. His clerks at the Ministry of Defense even dressed like him. He would walk around in a brown suede coat, and everyone followed suit. He had a magical influence. I don't remember anyone, not even military heroes, who had such an influence and who were elevated to such heights on a national level".

High praise indeed, and this view was widely shared. But how does this esteemed legacy relate to the Hamas-Israel conflict? First, let’s look at the man and his enduring ideas. Born in 1915, he lived in the country’s first kibbutz and, in 1936, joined the Haganah. The British arrested and imprisoned him for a time. In June 1941, he lost his left eye in battle in Lebanon, after which he wore a distinctive eye patch.

He formulated a doctrine for both conventional and insurgent warfare. His ideas still influence Israel today. Long before becoming a legend, he worked under his military mentor, the controversial yet effective British officer, Orde Wingate, who developed an innovative tactic for hunting and eliminating Arab militants, especially those attacking civilians. Wingate taught and inspired Dayan to lead his men from the front and to strike the enemy where and when it’s least expected. He also advised Dayan to respect Arabs who avoided hostilities. Wingate valued intelligence, and both focused on action-oriented soldiers.

Dayan’s ambivalent attitude toward the Arab population developed during his service with the British. He took orders from Ode Wingate and was determined to understand Arab customs and ceremonies. While serving in the Wingate-led strike units, he learned to be tough yet respectful toward Arabs in Palestine. In the 1950s, he developed tactics against insurgents that reflected Wingate’s methods. He shaped the Israeli Defense Forces' culture first as chief of staff during the 1956 campaign and later as defense minister through both the 1967 and 1973 conventional wars. However, before, between, and during these major conflicts, the IDF carried out ‘Current Security Operations,’ small military actions against the Arab insurgency.

His crowning achievement was his performance in the 1967 war, which strengthened his reputation. After 1967, the IDF faced the challenge of managing the population in the West Bank and Gaza. Moshe Dayan developed policies for the population from the founding of the IDF through the critical period after 1967; his ideas and practices in counterinsurgency have become a tradition in themselves.

Dayan and Open Bridges

Dayan’s policy of ‘open bridges’ aimed to maximize economic and political freedom while minimizing interference in daily life. First, it emphasized cooperation and accommodation with the Arabs. He did not present a specific plan to resolve the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. He was openly opposed to annexation because that would either force Israel to make the Arabs full voting citizens or keep them in a quasi-Apartheid state of lesser citizenship. In hindsight, this policy seems to have been effective. There was stability for nearly 20 years despite Israel's expansion of housing in the occupied territories.

However, his governance faced criticism. First, many religious Jews were disappointed and resentful because they were denied full access to the Temple Mount, which also serves as a holy site for Muslims. In June 1967, Israeli paratroopers captured the Old City, the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount—the holiest site in Judaism—all of which are located within. As Defense Minister, Dayan, a secularist, blocked access to accommodate Arabs. A major complaint was that Jews could not pray at the Mount, and that the Arabs, whom Dayan sought to appease, were ungrateful. Some critics went further, arguing that this accommodation could be seen as a sign of weakness.

The second criticism of Dayan was related to the first: his approach to Arabs regarding the Temple Mount. This criticism was broader and questioned the perspective he used to view Arab-Israeli relations. After October 2023, his earlier policies were widely condemned as naive and harmful to Israel. Given his stature and legendary status, Dayan’s view of accommodation carried significant weight. His critics accused him of promoting a “peacenik” policy with those committed to wiping out Israel. To support their claims, critics pointed to Dayan’s policies and rhetoric. They sometimes misattributed his eulogy at Roi Rotberg’s 1956 funeral. Terrorists from Gaza murdered and mutilated a young Kibbutznik, and Dayan delivered a eulogy in which he urged his fellow Jews to show compassion toward Arabs rather than revenge. His critics interpreted his speech as weak and naive. However, the core message was far from spineless. He advised showing compassion while staying vigilant. He said, “Let us not be deterred from seeing the loathing that is inflaming and filling the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Arabs who live around us. Let us not avert our eyes lest our arms weaken. This is the fate of our generation. This is our life’s choice: To be prepared and armed, strong and determined, lest the sword be stricken from our fist and our lives cut down.” Are these the words of a pacifist?

However, after the October 2023 attack, his speeches and conversations were carefully examined. In a speech Dayan gave in 1969, he also clarified that he did not blame Arab hostility on supposed “forcible dispossession.” He said, “We purchased the land from Arabs and set up Jewish villages where there had once been Arab villages.” In response, his critics contended that Muslim hostility was fueled by a deadly hatred of Jews and a desire to remove their presence from the area. Some claim that Dayan used his influence to promote his secular and naive “peacenik” policy, which they say jeopardized Israeli security and, in turn, led Hamas to launch its attacks in 2023. But what do you think? We value your opinion.

Hello from Jihad and the World – a podcast that explores the intersection of Western and Islamic cultures. The author is Mark Silinsky of Kensington Security Consulting, which provides education on national security. This podcast is one of several follow-ups to a 10-part series on a mass murder at Fort Hood, Texas. The series is titled “Rampage – Mass murder at Fort Hood.” This first follow-up examines the possible execution of the murderer, Nidal Hasan. We at Kensington are sharing it now, before all 10 episodes have been published, because Nidal Hasan may be scheduled for execution in 2026. This episode is called “An Execution Party and a Cocktail.”

By way of background, Hasan was an Army psychiatrist when he opened fire at a crowded Soldier Readiness Processing Center at what was then Fort Hood, killing 13 people and wounding 31 others. This incident is the subject of the series Rampage. Hasan was sentenced to death and remains incarcerated at the United States Disciplinary Barracks. The USDB's mission is to detain U.S. military prisoners who have received lengthy sentences, oversee correctional and treatment programs to maintain order and discipline, reduce recidivism after release, and, when directed, provide trained soldiers for global deployment to support contingency operations.

All types of offenders have spent time behind bars there. It housed Mennonites who objected to military service during World War I, and 14 German prisoners from World War II were hanged there in 1945 for murdering other POWs they believed to be traitors. The old prison also held Lt. William Calley, convicted of murder over the My Lai Massacre in 1968 during the Vietnam War, and the pugnacious middleweight, Rocky Graziano, who received a nine-month sentence during World War II for going AWOL after decking an officer.

Many inmates can better themselves by earning vocational certificates in barbering, carpentry, embroidery, engraving, graphic arts, laundry and dry cleaning, printing, sheet metal work, and welding. The most difficult cases are held in a special unit where inmates are confined for 23 hours a day. They do not share meals with other inmates, nor can they walk the halls without being shackled. There are no pick-up basketball games in the yard or weightlifting routines for maximum-security prisoners. If exercise facilities were available, Nidal Hasan would not be able to use them because he is confined to a wheelchair after being paralyzed from the waist down due to gunshot wounds. He resides in one of several small, secure cells called Death Row, waiting for the day he will be strapped to a gurney and executed.

Military Executions

The United States Army executed 36 soldiers during World War I by hanging. Eleven of these hangings took place in France, while the remaining 25 were carried out in the continental United States. In World War Two, the military executed 142 soldiers and other members of the armed forces. The U.S. Navy has not executed any of its servicemen since 1849. The prisoners were usually shot or hanged. Today, he will likely be killed by a cocktail of poisons injected into his veins. This is what awaits Nidal Hasan.

Firing Squad – “The Execution Party”

“Cause eight rifles to be loaded in his presence. Not more than three nor fewer than one will be loaded with blank ammunition. He will place the rifles at random in the rack provided for that purpose.” Instructions for officer charged with execution by firing squad.

So, what was it like to be executed by a firing squad during World War II? The officer responsible for the firing squad rehearsed the procedure with the team. The team consisted of eight men and one sergeant. A chaplain would accompany the prisoner and confirm that a medical officer was present at the scene. The officer would check that the post securing the prisoner was sturdy and that the rings were secure. He would decide how many of the rifles would have blanks, randomly selecting between 1 and 3 of the 8 rifles in the designated rack. A black hood covered the prisoner's head. A 4-inch round target was placed above his heart. The prisoner's arms should be secured either behind his back or at the waist in front, either before or immediately after being received by the guard.

The Dead March and a Lively Air

Sometimes, music accompanied the execution. If so, the escort will then proceed to the execution site, with the band playing the "Dead March." The officer read the charge, findings, sentence, and orders aloud to the prisoner. He then raised his right arm vertically overhead, palm forward, fingers extended and joined, and the execution party will come to the "Ready" position.

When the officer raises his arm to a straight, horizontal position and shouts “aim,” he then drops it, commanding "FIRE." At this signal, the men in the party fire into the prisoner's heart. The officer then examines the now-shot prisoner and administers the "coup de grace" if necessary. He then dismisses the men. The execution “party” is over. This is generally what happened to Private Eddie Slovak toward the end of World War II, when he was executed for desertion. Since January 31, 1945, no American soldier has been executed for desertion. We at Kensington believe that the execution scene in the movie “The Execution of Eddie Slovak” was accurate.

Death by Hanging

Most Army executions in the United States have been conducted by hanging. The officer in charge may secure the prisoner’s arms in front or behind him and fasten them to a belt. In consultation with a medical officer, he will determine the drop necessary for a “proper execution.” The lightest weight listed on the standard drop chart was 120 lbs or less. The required drop is 8’1”. For much larger men and women, the heaviest weight is 220 lbs, and the height is just 5’0”. One day before, the execution is rehearsed with a sandbag.

The most well-known U.S. Army hangman was Master Sergeant John C. Woods. During 1944 and 1945, the tough Master Sergeant Woods, with a questionable background, executed about thirty U.S. soldiers sentenced to death. After the war, he hanged dozens of Nazi war criminals at Landsberg Military Prison, often working alongside the German Johann Reichhart, an official executioner of Nazi Germany. Woods claimed to have carried out 347 executions over a 15-year career. The British movie, Pierrepoint, captures the career of executioner Albert Pierrepoint, Britain’s last hangman. One scene focuses on the hanging of German war criminals, and we believe that it, and the movie in general, is accurate.

Lethal Injection

All of this history is not relevant to Nidal Hasan's planned execution. He will not be hanged or shot; instead, he will be poisoned with a lethal cocktail. The last time the U.S. military executed a service member for a capital crime was on April 13, 1961. Since then, the federal government and state governments have moved to lethal injection. Traditionally, lethal injections have used a three-drug cocktail: sodium thiopental for sedation, pancuronium bromide to paralyze the muscles, and potassium chloride to stop the heart. However, in 2011, the only U.S. manufacturer of sodium thiopental, ceased production due to its use in executions. That same year, the European Union banned the export of sodium thiopental along with other barbiturates used in executions, requiring companies to ensure that their exports would not be used for lethal injections. Etomidate is the latest drug to be used in capital punishment in the U.S. Etomidate is a type of intravenous anesthetic that knocks the prisoner unconscious. Another chemical, rocuronium bromide, paralyzes the inmate before the third, potassium acetate, stops his heart. When all three of these drugs course through Hasan’s veins, he will be dead.

Who looks forward to Hasan’s execution? Many survivors, friends, and family of victims look forward to the day of death. Am I going to leave here in a body bag? Are they going to cut my baby out of my corpse?" And what of Nidal’s thoughts? His letters reveal that he is as committed as ever to killing those whom he sees as enemies of England. If he is executed, he will die as a martyr and go directly to heaven. Will he be executed in 2026? We at Kensington have no inside information, but we think it is very likely. Secretary of War Hegseth has advocated for his execution. If he hasn’t already, President Trump will likely sign off on the death warrant. Then, some 21 years after the killing, he will die, perhaps with the words Allah Akar on his lips. These may be his last words, and these were the last words some of his victims heard on the day of his rampage at Fort Hood.

Hello from Jihad and the World – a podcast that explores the connection between Western and Islamic cultures. The author is Mark Silinsky of Kensington Security Consulting, where we bring education to national security. In this, our second of ten episodes, we look at Fort Hood and the immediate environs. part podcast series about the mass murder at Fort Hood. The series is titled “Rampage – Mass Murder at Fort Hood.”

The Great Place

“I, Nidal Malik Hasan, having been appointed a major in the U.S. Army . . . do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the   Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and . . . domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same . . . So help me God.” Nidal Malik Hasan

Located in Texas, Fort Hood is one of America’s largest military installations. Its moniker is “The Great Place,” and it was opened in 1942 to train soldiers how to destroy German and Japanese tanks. The Fort became home to the Third Corps, which moved the “Red Ball Express” supplying Patton’s Third Army. It produced the soldiers who captured the legendary Remagen Bridgehead, securing a foothold in Germany. Fort Hood is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. Some residents and non-residents are uncomfortable with this continuing salute to the Confederacy.

Fort Hood is an important part of both Texas and the U.S. Army. It is one of America’s largest military bases, located in the biggest state in the continental U.S. Camp Hood officially opened in 1942 to train soldiers to destroy German and Japanese tanks. The symbol of the Third Corps was the black panther, as seen on the shoulder patch of tank destroyers. The fort became home to the Third Corps, which had previously served in World War I. During World War II, it transported the “Red Ball Express” and fought alongside Patton's Third Army to capture the Remagen Bridgehead, gaining a foothold in Germany.

The Soldiers Readiness Center is located on Battalion Avenue, between 75th and 77th streets. It runs parallel to Hell on Wheels Avenue and Tank Destroyer Road, near Support Avenue, and is also close to Hospital Road. The center is near the commissary, the main post exchange, a bank, small shops, and a gas station. Copperas Cove and West Fort Hood are to its west. Central Texas College is across US Highway 190 to the south, while the stables and Killeen are to its east. According to one study, Killeen is the most stressful city in Texas. This is due to several factors: “The high cost of housing, long work hours, and relatively high crime.” Especially when you think of the cities around us. Austin, 67 miles south, has battled a property-

Life on Fort Hood

“Scuffy!” That word has haunted Killeen since the Washington Post described the city as "a scruffy (military) town of tattoo parlors and auto body shops, Chinese restaurants, and pawn shops" in 2004. The Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce plans to change that image during Maj. Nidal Hasan's upcoming court-martial. "The community gets a lot of coverage because of Fort Hood," said John Crutchfield, president and CEO of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce. "A lot of those stories are not complimentary." As part of an effort to improve the city's image, the chamber will provide visiting media with a kit consisting of fact sheets, contacts, third-party articles, and dining options. "We will highlight some of our unique places on our list that the media might not be aware of," Crutchfield said. “Let Us Do the Cooking Cafe and Catering Service” is one of the local businesses featured in the restaurant guide. Owner Meredith Viguers said she believes Killeen deserves the improved public relations effort. "I think it is."

Islamic Killeen

            Killeen has a small but lively Muslim community. There are halal supermarkets and restaurants listed on a Muslim-friendly website. A dating site for Muslims in Killeen is also available. Muslima.com features profiles of Muslim men of various ages looking for long-term relationships. The brief bios of these men resemble lonely-hearts ads found elsewhere. One reads, “I am happy with my life in most respects, but am missing excitement and passion. I would like to meet someone to share fun, laughter, and maybe some romance . . .” About 70 Muslim families, many connected to the military, pray at the Killeen mosque. For them, their co-religionist’s 2009 murder has been a heartbreaking betrayal, according to congregant MAJ Dawud Agbere. The shooting caused, in the words of mosque leader Osman Danquah, “tremendous pressure. We are in a state of mourning for what has transpired, and at the same time, you have the media swarming down and the FBI swarming down." Mosque president Manzoor Farooqi condemned the shootings as a "shameless attack" and said he cooperated with federal investigators. Farooqi, a pediatrician, stated that Hasan gave no signals to him or other mosque leaders that he was planning to kill fellow soldiers.

            Many of Killeen’s Muslims wistfully recall the days before the November 2009 killings drew unwanted and mostly negative attention to the community. “It goes into your head, and it twists you around," said Nabil Sutherland, 68, a retired steelworker who prays at the mosque. "People come here, you think they're peaceful, humble, and praise God. You don't think anybody would have any connection with radical extremism. To kill other soldiers and innocent human beings... it's beyond comprehension."

Murders occur in Killeen just like in many other places. These crimes often originate from domestic disputes, financial struggles, revenge, or long-term mental health issues. Many murders in Killeen are committed by residents living in poverty. Some are planned, while others happen suddenly. Texas experienced one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. About 25 years ago, the scene was Austin, 50 miles south of Killeen, near the University of Texas tower. Charles Whitman, a 25-year-old architecture student, fired from his observation tower at students and bystanders, causing nearly two hours of chaos. Sixteen people died, and 31 others were wounded on August 1, 1966, during the attack, which ended when police quietly entered the tower and shot Whitman. There was also a killing in Killeen when a troubled individual drove his pickup truck through a window of Luby's Cafeteria and fired at anyone he could see. All these events foreshadowed Nidal Hasan's mass murder in 2009.

Guns Galore – “No Idiots Allowed”

There is a strong gun culture in Texas with folklore connected to it. Six-shooters, cowboys, soldiers, and shootouts are all part of the state’s history. Fort Hood, a large Army post, is a key part of this tradition. Guns Galore is about 2 miles outside Fort Hood. It’s one of the few places in the area, besides pawn shops, where you can buy firearms. Longtime salesman Gregg Ebert, a former police officer from Killeen, said the store serves local law enforcement and has a good record of following federal regulations. Guns cover the walls of the shop near Fort Hood, along with posters that say: No Idiots Allowed. This Isn't a Place for Children to Play. Firearm Trafficking is Illegal. Ebert also said he has refused to sell guns to certain individuals before. "We've refused to sell to a handful of people based on their mannerisms, their overall behavior — left you with the uncomfortable feeling that I'd rather not sell a firearm to this person," Ebert said. Guns Galore is also where a soldier accused of planning to bomb Fort Hood troops at a restaurant in 2011 bought gunpowder and ammunition. And then there was Nidal Hasan.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Jihad and the World. If you enjoyed it, please consider subscribing. If you have any firsthand knowledge of the Fort Hood attack, please contact us. Our latest book, Cauldron of Terror – Hamas, Israel, and the World, will be available for purchase in July 2026. This podcast does not reflect the official position of the United States government. Until next time, goodbye from Kensington Security Consulting. 

Hello from Jihad and the World – a podcast that explores the intersection of Western and Islamic cultures. The author is Mark Silinsky of Kensington Security Consulting, which provides education on national security. Today, we begin a 10-part series on a mass-murder attack at Fort Hood, Texas. A trust U.S. soldier murdered and tried to murder scores of his countrymen whom he declared enemies of Islam. The series is entitled “Rampage – Mass murder at Fort Hood. Episode One presents the attack.

On the afternoon of November 5, 2009, the balding, portly 39-year-old US Army Major Nidal Hasan strolled into Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center. He turned to the only civilian in the waiting area and calmly asked her to leave. Hidden in his clothing were an FN 5-7 pistol with green and red laser sights and a .357 revolver, which he carried as a backup weapon. Also concealed were nearly two dozen magazines, each holding 20 rounds, which he claimed would be enough to ‘accomplish his mission.”

            Now inside the Base, he watched soldiers talking and filling out paperwork for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. He shouted "Allahu akbar!" and opened fire on his fellow soldiers, who were completely caught off guard. At first, Private Second Class Alan Carroll chuckled at Hasan’s Arabic shouts. Later, he would say, “I thought he was just joking around.” Another soldier thought it was a paintball game. But soon, heads turned to the pop-pop-pop of firecrackers and then to screams of pain. Unarmed and unsuspecting, Hasan’s victims were defenseless against his brutal attack.

            In the chaos, some soldiers realized that they had been struck by bullets only when they saw their own blood. Others recalled the rounds feeling like sledgehammers or baseball bats slamming into them. The shots tumbled through flesh, shattered bones, and ruptured organs. Many of the injured remain haunted by the cries of dying and the acrid smell of the blood.

            The first to take a bullet at 21 years old was PFC Najee Hull, who was hit twice in the back and once in the knee. He shuffled into a nearby cubicle and hid. Reservist Dorothy "Dorrie" Carskadon was shot four times while completing paperwork. Both soldiers survived. Coukoulis saw from his hiding spot that Hasan looked at his victims, some of whom “... just stood their ground. They didn't flinch, and they didn't whimper. They were looking at fate, and they knew it."

            PFC Kham Xiong, 23, continued his family’s military tradition. During the Vietnam War, his father fought the communists in Laos. His younger brother served in the Marines. His 8th-grade teacher recalled, “his greatest attribute was his ability to make everybody smile." Xiong was among the first to be killed at Fort Hood while waiting in line for a flu shot. Soft-spoken and determined, SSGT Amy Sue Krueger had already served in Iraq and was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. Earlier, she explained to her family, “we need more people” to serve there. Hasan shot and killed her.

            Trying to make sense of the chaos, soldiers realized that the attacker was wearing an Army uniform. "He's one of ours! He's one of ours!" a female lieutenant yelled as Hasan kept spraying rounds into soldiers. Many of the bullets hit their targets. Twenty-one-year-old PVT Francheska Velez was expecting a baby. “Cheka,” as she was affectionately known, became pregnant in Iraq. Hasan shot her as she pleaded for the life of her unborn child. "My baby! My baby!" were her last words. A generation older than Cheka, LTC Juanita Warman, who was shot in the abdomen, begged to be allowed to tell her family that she loved them. She never got the chance because she died at the scene.

            The gunfire continued relentlessly. Witnesses described how Hasan sprayed bullets in a fan-shaped pattern before targeting individual soldiers. Psychiatric nurse CPT Russell Seager requested to be sent to Afghanistan to help emotionally distressed combat personnel. His front-line experience gave him insight into his emotionally traumatized comrades. Now at Fort Hood, CPT Seager tried to save lives by rushing at Hasan, who shot and killed him. Eyewitness SGT Michael Davis said: "The rate of fire was pretty much constant shooting . . . it sounded like an M16." Bright red and green beams from the shooter’s laser gunsight illuminated the dust particles.

            Rounds tore through backs, arms, and necks as the wounded crawled for cover. Hasan changed magazines too quickly for anyone to stop him. He had practiced at the range. But some personnel in the Center confronted the shooter. Grizzled senior Michael Grant Cahill, armed with a folding chair, charged at him, and Hasan shot him dead. The 62-year-old took six shots. Posthumously, he was awarded the Army Medal for Valor.

            As a boy, soft-spoken Spc. Frederick Greene of Mountain City, TN, was active at Baker’s Gap Baptist Church. A church superintendent said, “He was one of the finest boys you ever saw.” His fellow soldiers called him the Silent Soldier because he never complained and often volunteered to help. Hasan shot him 12 times, and he died. At 19 years old, Aaron Nemelka from West Jordan, Utah, was the youngest to die. Like Frederick Greene, Nemelka was also a man of faith. PFC Nemelka was shot three times while lying on the ground.

            SSG Justin Michael DeCrow was the son of a Vietnam War veteran and father to a 13-year-old daughter. He wrestled and played football in high school. But this sturdily built soldier had no defense against the bullets that killed him. MAJ Libardo Eduardo Caraveo, the youngest of seven children from a poor Mexican family that immigrated to Texas when he was a boy, put himself through college and earned a doctorate from the University of Arizona. Deeply patriotic, he pledged, “If God helps me, then I am going to help people.' He died that day on the killing floor. Passionate guitarist PFC Michael Pearson, 21, of Bolingbrook, was shot three times—in the spine and the chest. Surgeons worked desperately to save Pearson, even bringing him back to life twice on the operating table, but he had lost too much blood and died. However, many of those shot survived. SGT Alonzo Lunsford saw the laser train on his face, and he instinctively closed his eyes. He was shot seven times, collapsed to the ground, and started to sing Amazing Grace but could not get past the first verse.

            Hasan searched for those hiding. He trained his laser sight on Theodore Coukoulis, who was concealed under a desk. Coukoulis hoped Hasan would shoot him in the back of the head so he could die instantly. Instead, the major moved on, and Coukoulis survived. After Hasan left the building, Coukoulis emerged from his hiding spot and began assisting with triage. Later, he would describe the wide grin Hasan wore as he gunned down soldiers.

Nurse Shemeka Hairston called 911 for help. She was crouched under a desk at the processing center where the shooting started. “Oh God, help me,” Hairston said as the operator kept asking her for the location of the shooting. She opened her eyes and saw a soldier standing up during a pause in the gunfire. “His eyes got big, and he fell.”

At that time, all active-duty soldiers were preparing for deployments to either Iraq or Afghanistan. One of the victims, retired Lt. Col. Randy Lee Royer, was shot in the leg, breaking his femur a few inches above the knee. Royer needed a cane to walk to the stand. He described hiding in a cubicle during the shooting. Unable to walk, he stayed inside the processing center throughout the entire incident. When it was over, he said the building was “deathly quiet.”

            Soldiers Down, Shooter Down

            Michelle Harper had worked at the center for six years drawing blood. Startled by the gunshots, she turned and saw Michael Pearson fall as he took his last breaths. Along with several others, she dialed 911. Captured on tape, Hasan’s gunshots were heard, as were Pearson’s dying breaths and moans. "Oh, my God! There are a lot of people—15, probably more," cried nurse Kimberly "Regina" Huseman, who also called 911. "He's a soldier! . . . Oh, my God!" Calmly, Major Hasan exited 42003 and reassured surprised civilians that the chaos of screams and gunshots was just an exercise. But he, like many of his victims, would leave Fort Hood on a gurney, near death, and permanently crippled.

After Hasan left, survivors began shouting, "Mass casualty! Mass casualty!" and "Soldiers down! Soldiers down!" SSC Maria Guerra yelled, "You train for this, you train for this, let's go.” Medics and nurses quickly emerged from hiding to help their fallen comrades. A medic marked the foreheads of several dead with the letter D to indicate who needed aid. By coincidence, a documentary filmmaker was there filming a school graduation, but instead, he captured footage of the wounded, using their gowns as makeshift bandages.

PFC Amber Bahr, 19, applied a tourniquet to a soldier and carried him a short distance before realizing she had been shot. The bullet entered her abdomen and exited through her back. She survived. Nurses and medics entered the building and secured the doors to prevent Hasan from reentering. They then turned to the wounded and rushed to help them. Some later remembered that the floor was so soaked with blood it was too slippery to quickly reach the screaming and pleading victims.

Outside, Hasan searched for more soldiers to attack. The police had been compromised, and two officers sped to the scene. Ford Hood police officer SGT Kimberly Munley and her partner started their shift that day by washing their squad car. Responding to urgent calls for help, she arrived at the center to see soldiers shouting, “He’s that way! He’s that way!” She saw Hasan, who aimed his weapon at her. “Then I saw a red flash of a laser cross my eyes. I pulled the hammer back on my weapon to get an accurate shot,” Munley said. “We began to blindly exchange fire.” Hasan was faster to draw, and Munley’s gun jammed. Hasan’s rounds hit her in the hand, thigh, and knee. As she lay wounded on the ground, Hasan kicked away her weapon. But before he could fire a killing shot, Munley’s partner, Mark Todd, shot at Hasan.

Later, Todd recalled, "... he turned and fired a couple of rounds at me. I didn't hear him say a word; he just turned and fired." The two exchanged gunfire, and Hasan was hit by five rounds from Todd, who kicked the pistol out of his hand and placed handcuffs on him as he fell unconscious. Someone yelled, “Shooter down!" Hasan was rushed to a hospital, received treatment, and was later incarcerated. By the end of the shooting, he had fired 146 rounds inside the facility and 68 outside. Blood donation centers in Waco, Killeen, and Scott and White Hospital in Temple became overwhelmed with donors. The list of those murdered and wounded at Fort Hood includes individuals of many different ethnicities, different religions, genders, national origins, and races. Some were soldiers, and some were civilians. All were members of the U.S. Army who were murdered during an Islamist rampage at Fort Hood.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Jihad and the World. If you enjoyed it, please consider subscribing. Next week, we will cover Fort Hood and Killeen, Texas, the last home of Nidal Hasan and those he murdered. If you have firsthand knowledge of the Fort Hood attack, please reach out to us. Our latest book, Cauldron of Terror – Hamas, Israel, and the World, will be available in July 2026. This podcast does not represent the official position of the United States government. Until next time, goodbye from Kensington Security Consulting. 

Hello from Jihad and the World – a podcast that explores the connection between Western and Islamic cultures. The author is Mark Silinsky of Kensington Security Consulting, where we bring education to national security. Today, we examine Islamist infiltration in the United States military. We will profile several Army soldiers who killed or tried to kill their fellow American soldiers. We will also look at some Pentagon Jihadis who did not physically harm military personnel but betrayed the country they swore to serve. Finally, we will try to make sense of the homicidal rampages and betrayals.

Ali Mohammad - "He has a lot of chutzpah, no question," Tom Corrigan, of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, in reference to Ali Mohammad, the US Army trainer for al Qaeda

Ali Mohammad, also often spelled Mohammed, was unquestionably the most well-known Islamist infiltrator in any US military branch. Athletic, handsome, intelligent, charming, and treacherous, Mohammad served in the Egyptian Army until he was discharged for aligning himself with an Islamic Brotherhood offshoot. As a soldier, he visited the United States during military exchanges, where he worked as a translator. Without steady employment, he moved to the U.S., married an American, and enlisted in the US Army, where he served at Fort Bragg, giving lectures on Islamic culture among other duties.

What is clear is his Islamist bona fides, which he earned through teaching martial arts and small-unit tactics at Osama bin Laden’s training camps in Afghanistan. He also trained Islamists based in the US, in New York and New Jersey, one of whom was later convicted of murdering an American rabbi. Ali Mohammad’s talent and intelligence starkly contrast with the US government’s and the US Army’s ineptitude and confusion about Islamism. Is Ali Mohammad professing his allegiance to Islam and his willingness to fight anyone, including Americans, who threaten Islam?

SGT Mohammad was openly contemptuous of Sadat, US foreign policy, and Israel, and he freely spoke about the virtues of political Islam. If anyone questioned his commitment to the Islamist cause, they only needed to see him on a US Army-produced television show. Although many soldiers familiar with Mohammad discussed his anti-American rants and dedication to the Islamist cause, they were wary of being labeled bigots if they brought up the issue. Additionally, many soldiers assumed that because Mohammad was teaching Islam courses at Fort Bragg, his Army superiors were aware of and approved his course content. Why else would they assign him to teach such a course? It's no surprise that many soldiers chose to remain silent.

Hasan Akbar - Despite his academic qualifications, SGT Hasan Akbar never became an officer. Born in difficult circumstances to a radical-leftist father turned Muslim, Mark Fidel Kools, who changed his name to Hasan Akbar, left the mean streets of Los Angeles to study engineering at UC Davis. There, he was engaged in the small Muslim community and regularly attended MSA meetings.

In the Army, he felt isolated and complained about being taunted. However, the teasing from fellow soldiers might have come from his odd behavior, not his Islamic faith. He acted unpredictably, doing karate chops spontaneously and blurting out angry, inappropriate comments, which made his fellow soldiers uncomfortable. He also unexpectedly and repeatedly fell asleep during training. Long before Akbar threw grenades into the tents of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 326th Engineering Battalion, he wrote in his diary about killing Americans as an Islamic duty. His behavior was strange, but he could function as a soldier, if not a very good one. He also did not seem to have trouble telling fantasy from reality. Because of this, a court-martial convicted him and sentenced him to death. Akbar’s defense lawyers argued he was too mentally ill to plan the attack. They claimed that, like his unpredictable karate chops, the grenade attack was spontaneous, which could reduce his sentence. But prosecutor CPT Robert McGovern said during closing arguments that his attack was carefully planned, entirely voluntary, and carried out with full knowledge that it was illegal. "He (Akbar) sought maximum carnage." He achieved it and, as a result, was sentenced to death.

Nidal Hasan

The most notorious and deadly US Islamist soldier is Nidal Hasan, about whom we have a future 10-part podcast series. On the afternoon of November 5, 2009, the balding, portly 39-year-old US Army Major Nidal Hasan walked into Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center. Hidden in his clothing were an FN 5-7 pistol with green and red laser sights and a .357 revolver, which he carried as a backup weapon. Also concealed were nearly two dozen magazines, each holding 20 rounds. His mission? To kill as many of his fellow American soldiers as possible in the name of Islam.

Pentagon Jihadis - There have been other Islamists, whom Daniel Pipes calls the “Pentagon Jihadis." They include Semi Osman, who served in both the US Army and Navy Reserves and was charged with providing "material support for terrorists." Abdul Raheem Al Arshad Ali, a Marine convert to Islam, was charged with aiding Osman. Jeffrey Leon Battle, an Army member who converted to Islam, was convicted of terrorism-related charges. Hammad Abdur-Raheem, who served in the Army, was convicted of using his military skills to train fellow Islamists for Jihad. Hassan Abujihaad, a naval communications specialist and convert to Islam, was convicted of aiding the Taliban.

Yusuf Khalil Jackson, a civilian contractor for the DoD, admitted to producing fake military IDs and may have been involved in the counterinsurgency efforts in Afghanistan. Sadeq Naji Ahmedan, an Air Force sergeant who was discharged for making statements condemning the US and praising bin Laden, later worked as a baggage handler at an airport. Among the senior Islamist citizens is Rafat Jamal Mawlawi, in his 50s, who served 12 years in the Navy and was later found with a small arsenal of weapons, passports indicating passage to Iran, extensive Jihadist literature, and videotapes suggesting involvement in Jihad, likely in the Balkans. These are only the known Islamists who have been arrested or convicted.

Hello from Jihad and the World – a podcast that explores the connection between Western and Islamic cultures. The author is Mark Silinsky of Kensington Security Consulting, and today’s episode shares updates on Western women who joined the Caliphate. It revisits topics covered in Jihad and the West – Black Flag over Babylon, released ten years ago. This episode provides a more detailed biography of a very confused English woman who turned to Islam and the Caliphate in search of a new life. I will also speculate on why four Western Islamists went to the Caliphate, where they were killed by their former countrymen.

"Because she is a Muslim, she will come here and never leave." Sally Jones’ friend Aisha

Raised in Kent, England, Catholic Sally Jones was a practicing Christian through her early twenties. When she was ten, her father, a van driver, committed suicide. Times were tough, and by sixteen, she left school to become a beautician. She also played bass in an all-girl band named Krunch. A bandmate impregnated her. She lost her husband to liver cancer two years after their son was born. Now a widow, she started using dating apps in 1996 and met Junaid Hussain.

She fell for him and quit her job selling cosmetics, then the couple traveled to Syria to join ISIS. They became known as Mr. and Mrs. Terror. She left her older son in Britain but took ten-year-old JoJo, whom she groomed to become an executioner. In Syria, she married Hussain and converted to Islam. Hussain died in fighting in 2015, but her influence and power continued to grow. Yesterday’s punk rocker became the leader of the female wing of the Anwar al-Awlaki battalion of ISIS in Raqqa. She decided who would live and who would die. The United Nations listed her as one of the most-wanted terrorists in 2015, and the U.S. government added her to its death list.

            She fled Raqqa after Coalition forces positioned themselves for an attack. A friend of hers said Jones converted to Islam and that she will never leave Syria. A convert will hold Islam tightly and not let it go. "Because she is a Muslim, she came here and will never leave.” As for JoJo, he joined the Cubs of the Caliphate youth club, where he learned how to kill captives. She pressed her son to decapitate goats as training to behead prisoners. JoJo’s grandfather in England feared that the then-eleven-year-old boy was becoming, in his words, a “lost soul.” A lurid video shows JoJo blasting a bullet into the head of a prisoner.            

            Mom was prolific on Twitter as a leading propagandist for the Islamic State. She was compared to a British recruiting sergeant. In an iconic image, she superimposed her face onto a photo of a nun holding a revolver. She aspired to become a suicide bomber. She wrote in 2015, “I know what I am doing. Paradise has a price, and I hope this will be the price for Paradise.” That price came in October 2017, when she and JoJo were blown to pieces by a Predator missile while fleeing Raqqa. JoJo was twelve at the time of his death. There is no known evidence that mom or son reached paradise.

            What do the American Adam Gadhan, Awar al Awlaki, the British Muhammad Emwazi, and Sally Jones have in common? Several things. By the turn of the millennium, Islamic terror was no longer rare, exotic, or distant. Among the four terrorists, two were born in the United States and two in Britain. Two had unconventional backgrounds: Adam Gadahn grew up immersed in California counterculture, while Al Awlaki spent much of his youth in Yemen before returning to the United States. Sally Jones and Muhammad Emwazi both had common English backgrounds before turning to radical Islam. Two were well-educated—Awlaki was an engineer and Emwazi an IT professional—while Jones and Gadahn did not graduate from college. Several had challenging childhoods, but there was no evidence that they lived in exceptionally cruel circumstances. These were ordinary people.

            One commentator suggested that Emwazi symbolized the successful and subtle infiltration of Western nations. Looking at his childhood, there is no indication that he would embrace violent Islam. His childhood friends described him as well-dressed, confident, polite, and intelligent. He had no criminal record and showed no signs of sadistic zeal. Until he left for Syria, he was considered a success story in Britain. The Muslim Briton escaped poverty and danger in the Middle East to build a new, prosperous life in Britain as a computer scientist. But then, something changed.

            Something also happened to Gadahn and Jones. Gadahn might have been prone to some violence. He explored Death Metal music in his late teens, but that could have been a fleeting phase. Did he bully or harm others? There are no records of serious incidents. Something also changed for Sally Jones. Raised Catholic and interested in music, Ms. Jones shifted from a chaotic lifestyle to a highly disciplined and strict routine. She decided who would live and who would die. She hardened her young son's heart so he would kill mercilessly. And he did. Al Alwaki probably experienced more grooming to become an extremist. He was immersed in Islam in Yemen and brought it with him to the U.S. But he could have chosen a different path. He didn’t have to endorse violence and salute killers. All four of them joined militant Islam, and they never left.  But, what are your ideas? What do you think happened?

Thank you for listening to this episode of Jihad and the World. Our latest book, Cauldron of Terror – Hamas, Israel, and the World, will be available for purchase in July 2026. This podcast does not reflect the official position of the United States government. Until next time, goodbye from Kensington Security Consulting. 

       Hello from Jihad and the World—a podcast that explores the link between Western and Islamic cultures. The author is Mark Silinsky of Kensington Security Consulting, where we bring education to national security. This is the ninth episode in a series centered on a single terrorist incident—the December 2, 2015, husband and wife mass shooting of health inspectors in San Bernardino, California. This episode looks at the immediate aftermath of the attack.

          "American blood . . .” 

            Before the blood was washed from the floors of Building 3, ISIS propagandists tweeted their glee over the "blessed attacks" that killed one-third of San Bernardino County's health inspector force. An ISIS leader pleaded, "May Allah Accept Our Brother & Sister who were martyred after carrying out an operation against Crusaders in the USA."  The following month's edition of Inspire would praise them for leaving behind a comfortable lifestyle and being an only child for martyrdom. It showed a montage of pictures of mutilated corpses with a background narrative explaining, “We did this for Allah. The killings filled us with joy.”

            ISIS propagandists boasted of connections to the San Bernardino massacre and threatened more. Leaders promised, “. . .  when we say we'll kill you in ur countries, we mean it." ISIS praised the husband-and-wife killers, calling them martyrs. "May Allah Accept Our Brother & Sister who were martyred . . .  "The American Blood Is Best and We Will Taste It Soon." "We bless the Islamic Umma for this great slaughter today. The blood of Crusaders was spilled in Paris, and tomorrow, with God's will in the heart of Washington," Musharraf tweeted in Arabic. ISIS's self-congratulation filtered out for days. But in San Bernardino, on December 2, there was panic, despair, and pleas for information. Who is alive, and who is dead? Who was shot? Were they in the hospital or the morgue? Where were they?

             Renee Wetzel, wife of supervisor Michael Wetzel, turned to her women's group, the Lil' Mamas, for help in finding her husband. However, they couldn't assist, and she had to wait eight hours to learn that she was now a widow. Meanwhile, Nicholas Thalasinos’s sister grew worried about her brother. She knew he could be flamboyantly political on his media account. Would he be a prime target for an assassin’s bullet? Ryan Reyes, Daniel Kaufman’s partner, waited for news. He described Kaufmann to local hospitals as "Just under six feet tall and around 195 pounds . . . and one earring on each side-- rainbow bars for gay pride." The following day, the death notice arrived.

            As hours passed, parents and siblings sank into despair. Yvette Velasco's and Tin Nguyen’s parents knew their daughters would call home immediately if they were alive. By late afternoon, these parents correctly assumed that their children were dead. Mandy Pifer, Shannon Johnson's love interest, texted him earlier that day. She did not receive a response because he was likely dead by then. Inspector Anies Kondoker’s husband Salihin was working in Northern California when he heard about the shooting. He tracked Anies via her cellphone's GPS, which told him she was in the heart of the slaughter site. He explained, "I got sick in my stomach and my brain." His wife had been shot, but she would fully recover. But the killers were still on the loose, and dozens of men and women were struggling for their lives near Build 3 of the Inland Regional Center.

The Look of Death

            Medical professionals refer to the first sixty minutes after a serious injury as the golden hour. In San Bernardino, it took fifty-seven minutes to evacuate twenty-two wounded survivors, some critically injured, to a hospital. Initially, the wounded were moved to a spot directly outside the building, but that was deemed too close to an active crime scene. They were then guided to a golf course across the street, which was converted into a command post and triage center. The first fairway served as a helipad, transporting the most critically injured to local hospitals. Victims and witnesses were led on foot, while the injured were transported in golf carts.

                People milling around the golf course waited quietly to be debriefed or receive medical treatment. Many stood in stunned silence, while others shared their grief, fear, and tears, reflecting on what had just happened. Conditions on the golf course were rough for the still-shaken survivors. There were no bathrooms, little shade, and the debriefing lasted for hours. Additionally, cell phone batteries were dead or dying, making communication difficult. The main goal was to get the wounded to safety.

            Medics marked the ground with chalk - Immediate, Delayed, Minor, and Deceased.  Those declared immediate often had, what some medics called, the look of death. Characteristics of this look were ashen skin, gasping for breath, and very rapid breathing. Delayed injuries were those to the shoulder and extremities. Many had minor injuries and were treated on site. Many of those released left for home. Most of the injured had been taken to local hospitals. Loma Linda University Medical Center receives the most severe patients because it is the only level-one trauma center in the region.

            Just before 2:00 operations, first responders shifted their base of operations from the golf course to the Rock Church, located about one mile away. Police and other first responders continued to debrief witnesses. Residents and businesses offered services and provided food, water, and supplies. Inside the Center, members of Counseling Team International offered psychological counseling. The counselors also helped pen death notifications to the families of the dead. San Bernardino school board members partnered with teachers to protect the children and inform the parents of the situation.

            Victim advocates from the District Attorney's office and the FBI Victim Specialists contacted the families of the deceased and provided them with information on services. They fielded phone calls, made field visits, and began assisting families with funeral/burial assistance. Victim Advocates traveled to various hospitals to meet with the injured victims and FBI Victim Specialists to go over the various services available together. In several cases, a strong connection forged that day between advocates and victims' families led to enduring relationships. Clergy came to minister to the wounded, the traumatized, and those in mourning.

                Political analyst Ian Oxnevad remembers the day clearly. He prevented his mother from leaving his home. As soon as he heard that there were two shooters, he knew it was a terrorist attack. Oxnevad studied ISIS and its tactics in depth. “One shooter may be a man going postal. Two shooters are terrorists.”

Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed it, please consider subscribing to hear more podcasts from Jihad and the World. If any listener has firsthand knowledge of the San Bernardino attack, please contact us. This is very important to us. Our latest book, Cauldron of Terror – Hamas, Israel, and the World, will be available for purchase in July 2026. This podcast does not reflect the official position of the United States government. Until next time, goodbye from Kensington Security Consulting.