WACO, Texas (Reuters) ? A former Army private accused of a plot to attack soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas military base startled a court hearing on Thursday when he turned to the media and threw a sheath of rolled up papers.
Naser Jason Abdo, 21, charged during the hearing with six new federal counts including attempted murder, yelled "press release" as he tried to throw the papers to the media gallery. A federal marshall grabbed the papers and the media were unable to read them.
Several people in the courtroom flinched and ducked. "It certainly took me by surprise," said Abdo's lawyer, Keith Dorsett.
Abdo, who military officials said was approved as a conscientious objector to Iraq and Afghanistan wars, was arrested on July 27 in a Killeen, Texas, motel room. Federal authorities said that he had bomb-making materials, including a .40 caliber handgun as well as an article entitled "Make a bomb in the kitchen of your Mom."
Prosecutors said he admitted to trying to make a bomb.
The incident on Thursday was not his first courtroom outburst. When he made his initial appearance in federal court in July, he yelled "Nidal Hasan Fort Hood 2009!" as he was being led out by marshals. Hasan is the Army major charged with killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009.
His hands and feet shackled throughout the 5=minute proceeding on Thursday, Abdo once again appeared defiant in court in his responses to U.S. Magistrate Jeffrey C. Manske.
When asked if he swore to tell the truth, he spoke quite loudly and clearly "I SWEAR to God."
The new charges against Abdo included one count of attempted murder, two counts of possession of a firearm, and two counts of possession of a destructive device.
If convicted on the new charges, Abdo would face life in prison and $1.5 million in fines.
(Editing by Greg McCune)
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