Florida man tries to send alleged Ft. Hood shooter roses

A Florida florist reached out to the FBI after a US military veteran tried to send yellow roses to alleged Ft. Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan last week, a radio station revealed Thursday.

According to an AP report, Florida resident Dan Ross ordered flowers for Hasan and sought a card that read "In God's eye, and those who submit, you are a hero!"

The florist, Phil Enderle, refused to fill the $59.95 order and instead contacted the FBI.

"My first reaction was that, hey, here is another person in the United States that wants to make this guy out to be a hero," Enderle said. "I don't think he is anything like that. This guy was actually praising him for what he did."

Adds a local radio station:

In an e-mail to Enderle, Ross complained that the agents 'tried to intimidate him' and 'asked if he was on drugs.' Hasan never got his flowers, and the FBI has not commented on the case.

Enderle says he got yet another e-mail from Ross.

"He did send me more e-mails," Enderle said. "He is claiming that he didn't respect his constitutional rights."

Maj. Hasan was charged with 13 counts of murder on Friday. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Hasan, an army psychiatrist who is being investigated for links to militant Islam, will be tried in a military court for the fatal shootings of 12 soldiers and one civilian.

"US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan has been charged with 13 specifications of pre-meditated murder under the military code of justice," Chris Grey, a spokesman for the army's criminal investigation division, told reporters.

"We still believe that there was only one gunman at the scene involved in the actual shootings on November 5th."

Grey did not mention whether investigators also planned to indict Hasan over the 42 people wounded in the rampage but said other charges could be forthcoming.

More here.

With AFP.