US President Barack Obama has ordered a review of the way intelligence agencies handled information over an army major suspected of killing¹ 13 people.、

美国总统奥巴马下令对胡特军事基地枪击案疑犯进行深入调查。

The attack was one of the worst at a US military base

The measure comes after US intelligence authorities revealed they knew Maj Nidal Malik Hasan had been in contact with a cleric（牧师，教士） sympathetic（同情的，共鸣的） to al-Qaeda.

Thirteen people died in the attack at the Fort Hood² military base in Texas.

Maj Hasan, 39, was shot by police and remains³ in hospital. He has been charged with 13 counts of murder.

He has not spoken to investigators⁴.

Maj Hasan was said to be unhappy about a possible deployment⁵ to Afghanistan.

The shootings took place on 5 November at Fort Hood's crowded Soldiers Readiness Processing Center, where troops get medical check-ups before deploying⁶ abroad.

At least 29 people were hurt in the attack.

Maj Hasan has been under armed guard in a hospital since being wounded in the shooting.

He is to be prosecuted⁷ in a military court.

If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

No-one has been executed under the US military justice system for almost 50 years, says the BBC's Matthew Price.

Backlash fears

Former military colleagues of Maj Hasan had voiced concern about his performance and attitude for a number of years, according to media reports.

An FBI-led task force（特遣部队） monitoring the e-mail of Yemen-based cleric Anwar al-Awlaki said he had communicated with Maj Hasan - a US-born Muslim and army psychiatrist⁸（精神病医师） - on 10 to 20 occasions.

However, it was decided⁹ that further investigation¹⁰ was not needed, as the content of the messages did not advocate（主张，提倡） or threaten violence.

"I directed an immediate¹¹ inventory¹²（详细目录） be conducted of all intelligence in US government files that existed prior to 6 November 2009, relevant to（与……有关） the tragic¹³ shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, especially anything having to do with the alleged¹⁴ shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, US Army," Mr Obama said in a statement.

"Additionally, I directed an immediate review be initiated¹⁵（开始，创始） to determine how any such intelligence was handled, shared, and acted upon within individual departments and agencies and what intelligence was shared with others.

"This inventory and review shall be conducted in a manner that does not interfere¹⁶（妨碍，冲突） with the ongoing¹⁷ criminal investigations¹⁸ of the Fort Hood shooting."

Amid fears of a possible anti-Muslim backlash（反斜线，间隙） after the attack, President Obama has stressed the multinational¹⁹ diversity in the US armed forces.

"They are Americans of every race, faith, and station. They are Christians²⁰ and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers.

"They are descendants of immigrants and immigrants themselves. They reflect the diversity that makes this America," he said in the aftermath（余波，后果） of the shooting.