Radical Muslim Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki declared the suspected Fort Hood mass murderer, Major Nidal Hassan, "a hero" in an article posted on the cleric's website Monday. The English language article also said Hassan was "a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people." Moreover, Awlaki appears to encourage other Muslims in the U.S. Military to commit murder as Hassan did. "In fact the only way a Muslim could Islamically justify serving as a soldier in the US army," Awlaki writes, "is if his intention is to follow the footsteps of men like Nidal."

Even more interesting is that Awlaki is not offering his perverse praise to a complete stranger. According to a New York Times article also posted on Monday, U.S. intelligence agencies were aware that Major Hassan had been in contact with Awlaki, an American born Muslim of Yemeni parents who has served as imam in at least two mosques in the United States and is a renowned radical jihadist. Per the NYT report, Hassan and Awlaki, who left the United States in 2002 and is now back in Yemen, exchanged some ten to twenty emails last December that were intercepted by U.S. intelligence monitors. However, U.S. counter-terrorism officials did not take any action against Hassan because the emails between the two appeared to be related to Hassan's clinical research. Representative Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) of the House Intelligence Committee has requested that intelligence and law enforcement officials preserve all records of their dealings with Major Hasan.

The NYT report also notes that Awlaki was connected to three of the 9-11 hijackers; Hani Hanjour, Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi; via two of the mosques at which he was imam. Awlaki is mentioned in the report of the Sept. 11 commission as having met with Hazmi several times prior to the attack on the World Trade Center.

Major Hassan is now conscious at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.  His attorney has requested that the Major not be questioned until he arrives.