Hoekstra to press for investigation into Fort Hood shooting, dubs it 'homegrown jihadism'

A key Republican lawmaker on Monday asked that the Obama administration keep documents relevant to the Fort Hood shooting available so Congress can continue its investigation into what he called an incident of "homegrown jihadism."

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, sent a preservation order to the heads of the FBI, CIA, NSA and Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair directing them to keep the documents as part of his committee's review of the attacks that killed 13 and wounded 30.

In a release, Hoekstra accused the administration of dragging its feet in releasing items pertaining to the attacks that could prove the perpetrator, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, had ties to terrorists.

"The horrific shootings at Fort Hood are a tragic reminder of the potential deadly consequences of the threat posed by homegrown jihadism and the failure of the government to adequately respond to it," he said.

Hoekstra echoed the call of Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who on Sunday called the rampage "the worst terrorist attack since 9/11." Lieberman said his panel would launch an investigation into the attacks.

ABC News reported Monday that U.S. intelligence officials knew months ago that Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, attempted to contact al Qaeda. It is not known if intelligence officials informed the Army of Hasan's attempt to contact the suspected al Qaeda members.

It was also reported that Hasan shouted, "Allahu akbar!" ("God is great!") before opening fire on his fellow soldiers. 

The release said Hoekstra has had numerous conversations with Blair about the attack.

"At some point, it becomes necessary for us as a nation to address the uncomfortable threat of homegrown terrorism and radicalism, and Congress has an obligation to review how federal agencies are handling and disseminating information related to the threat," Hoekstra said in a statement. 

The fifth-term lawmaker said he would push for an "intense review" of the intelligence community's knowledge of the incident, if it provided the military, state and local officials with the proper information to defend against an attack at the base as well as "what steps America's intelligence agencies are taking in light of what they know."

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