Maj. Hassan: Evidence will show 'I am the shooter'

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — The Army psychiatrist accused in the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood targeted fellow soldiers in a meticulously planned attack that included stockpiling bullets and researching Taliban leaders calling for jihad, a military prosecutor said Tuesday during the opening day of the long-awaited trial.

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan spent time at a shooting range and purchased a pistol and extender kit to hold more ammunition before carrying out his plan to "kill as many soldiers as he could," Col. Steve Henricks told jurors. The shooting, which killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others, remains the deadliest mass shooting ever on a U.S. military installation.

Acting as his own attorney, Hasan told jurors the evidence would "clearly show" he was the gunman. But the American-born Muslim said the whole story wouldn't be revealed during the trial, which is under heavy security — including armed guards and 15-foot-tall stacks of shock-absorbing barriers — on the sprawling Texas military base.

Still, prosecutors are being careful. Hasan is charged with numerous counts of murder and attempted murder, and he would face the death penalty if convicted, but death sentences are often overturned in military courts.

Jurors were told by the judge to prepare for a trial that could take several months. Hasan, who is confined to a wheelchair, needs regular breaks because he was paralyzed after being shot by officers responding to the shooting.