AWOL Campbell pfc. arrested near Hood with bomb - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

AWOL Campbell pfc. arrested near Hood with bomb

An AWOL soldier from Fort Campbell, Ky., was arrested Wednesday near Fort Hood, Texas, while in possession of a bomb, guns and a “large quantity” of ammunition, officials said, possibly averting another large-scale attack at the Texas post.

Killeen, Texas, police say Pfc. Nasser Abdo, 21, of Garland, Texas, was in possession of the weapons — as well as an Army uniform with local unit patches — according to an internal Armywide message sent from the Pentagon.

“Upon questioning, suspect admitted to planning an attack on Fort Hood,” the message reads. “It is not clear if this individual is acting alone or in coordination with others. Therefore all commands are directed to communicate this threat.”

Before the arrest, police received a tip from the owners of Guns Galore in Killeen, the same shop where accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan purchased weapons in 2009, stating that Abdo paid cash for ammunition and other items.

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, is charged with killing 13 people and wounding 30 in a Nov. 5, 2009, shooting spree on the installation. He was arraigned earlier this month.

Abdo purchased three boxes of 12-gauge ammunition, smokeless gun powder and a magazine for a Springfield 9 mm before leaving in a taxi cab, gun shop officials said.

The soldier also paid cash for an Army uniform with local unit patches at a local military surplus store, according to police.

Police arrested the soldier at a local hotel, America’s Best Value Inn.

Explosives were found in the soldier’s car, according to Temple, Texas, television station KCEN-TV. Police also found jihadist materials in his possession, according to a Fox News report.

Abdo, an 11B infantryman, had been stationed at Campbell since July 2009. Officials said he did not return to duty after the July 4 weekend. His status was changed from present for duty to AWOL on July 4.

Conscientious objector request

Abdo, a Muslim, submitted a conscientious objector packet in July 2010. The Army recently approved Abdo’s petition for conscientious objector status, an Army spokesman said. His discharge was delayed due to pending court-martial on charges he had child pornography on a government computer.

In an August 2010 interview with CNN, Abdo said that after a year of training with his unit, he had worked up the courage to apply for conscientious status.

“Islam is much more a peaceful a religion than it is an aggressive religion,” he said. “So I do not believe that Islam allows me to operate in any kind of warfare at all, including the U.S. military in any war it partakes in.”

Abdo’s Article 32 hearing on the pornography charge ended June 15, and the investigating officer recommended referral of the charge to trial by court-martial.