Fort Hood suspect Nidal Hasan loses beard appeal
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20000054 Version 0 of 1. A man accused of killing 13 people at a Texas army base has lost his appeal to wear a beard during his murder trial. The US Army Court of Criminal Appeals upheld a military trial judge's decision to order Major Nidal Hasan to appear clean-shaven in court. His lawyers say they will appeal to a higher military court, putting his court martial on hold. He is accused of opening fire on soldiers preparing for deployment at Fort Hood, Texas in November 2009. Thirty-two people were injured in the attack. Maj Hasan, an army psychiatrist, faces 13 counts of pre-meditated murder and 32 counts of attempted pre-meditated murder. The rampage was the worst of its type at a US military base and he could face the death penalty if convicted. Maj Hasan argues he had grown a beard, against US Army regulations, in compliance with his Muslim faith. But a military judge said the 41-year-old had failed to prove sincere religious reasons for wearing the beard. The US Army appeal court agreed with his decision: "In front of a military panel, it is undeniable that failure to comply with Army grooming regulations would cast him in a negative light," a majority of judges wrote in their ruling on Thursday. If the ruling holds and Maj Hasan appears in court wearing a beard, he would be forcibly shaved. |