AWOL soldier evidently aimed at Fort Hood

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KILLEEN, Texas, July 28 (UPI) -- An AWOL soldier arrested in Killeen, Texas, appeared to be preparing for a bomb attack on Fort Hood, law enforcement officials said Thursday.

Pfc. Nassar Jason Abdo had been absent without leave from Fort Campbell, Ky., since July 4. He was arrested Wednesday in a motel room in Killeen, The New York Times reported.

Killeen Police Chief Dennis Baldwin said Abdo made statements suggesting he was aiming at Fort Hood. A law enforcement official told the Times a search of his motel room turned up items that included a uniform with Fort Hood patches, a list of materials needed for a bomb and an article from an al-Qaida magazine on how to make a bomb at home.

Greg Ebert, a retired police sergeant who works at Guns Galore in Killeen, told the Killeen Daily Herald a young man bought six canisters of smokeless powder Tuesday afternoon, choosing a mix of fast and slow powders that could be "highly volatile" in combination. He described the man as rude and said he appeared not to know much about explosives.

Ebert said he reported the man to police after he left as suspicious, leading to Abdo's arrest.

Troy Roland, an Army spokesman, said Abdo faced a child pornography charge when he disappeared. He also said Abdo had been seeking discharge as a conscientious objector.

Abdo a native of Garland, Texas, enlisted in 2009, Roland said.

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, is charged with killing 13 people in a burst of gunfire at Fort Hood in November 2009.