Posted on 01/06/2010 4:39:11 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
A temporary lockdown of Fort Sam Houston was lifted by noon Wednesday after officials determined that a man who tried to visit Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was not a threat to the base's security.
The man, whose name was not released, asked for an escort to Hasan's Brooke Army Medical Center hospital room around 9 a.m. He first said he was Hasan's lawyer, and then claimed to be his doctor, said hospital spokesman Dewey Mitchell.
“The man was asked by BAMC security to leave, and he complied,” Mitchell said in an e-mail. The man was not arrested.
The base was locked down immediately, said spokesman Phil Reidinger, but by noon, base activity was back to normal.
“We executed a lockdown until we could determine whether this individual was a threat to the post,” he said. “At that time, we didn't know what type of a threat the individual would be.”
The unwelcome visitor left the hospital but tried to drive farther onto the base. Reidinger said a security guard stopped him and told him to turn around and leave the base.
Hasan's lawyer, John P. Galligan, said early Wednesday afternoon that he was not aware of the incident.
Hasan, who is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 specifications of attempted murder, is paralyzed from the chest down. He was shot by police who responded to the Nov. 5 shootings at Fort Hood. He is confined mostly to his hospital bed at BAMC, which is on Fort Sam.
According to Reidinger, it is not unusual that a civilian would be allowed access to the fort. Nonmilitary personnel must present a driver's license, which security uses to screen guests. A second screening process ensures visitors have a good reason to be there.
“Once you enter a building, a facility or a command, you have to have an official reason for being there,” he said. “He had no business on the post.”
Crazy!
You can lie to base security and not be detained? WTH is that all about?
Good catch Swinney, I didn’t see this one today.
Are there no rough men standing guard on the wall to protect us?
“Well, we told him to leave.”
*ping*
And now the lockdowns.
Typical Army.
They turned a blind eye to internet posts, emails to terrorists, speeches and Powerpoint presentations condemning “infidels” and just about every indicator of a terrorist.
But, a guy gets on base and everybody’s on lockdown.
They should be ashamed.
This is what happens when political correctness and image management eclipses or replaces traditional functional roles.
And he was not arrested because????????????????
That the intruder was not even taken into custody for questioning, dare I say interrogation, is an absolute outrage.
Those fellows at the front gate are rent-a-cops and not affiliated with the U.S. Army. Get the picture....
Not arrested or even IDed? What the hell?
Security, my eye! A week or so ago during a light cold front in San Antonio, my spouse and I went to BAMC hospital where Maj. Hasan is at. We entered through the back door and found there was no one checking I.D.’s. We just walked right in to the hospital and were shocked at how easy it was . Anyone with explosives could have done the same thing. Maybe it was too cold and rainny to stand by the door that day to check packages, purses, etc. Well, so much for security.
I came on main post this morning at about 1015 through the Walters Street entrance. My dl was checked and that was it. I left about 45 minutes later through the same gate. I saw absolutely no evidence of “lockdown.”
Yikes
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