AG Holder disturbed by Hasan's contacts

WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General Eric Holder said he was disturbed to learn of contacts between Fort Hood shooting suspect Nidal Hasan and a radical imam overseas.

Holder is testifying Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Lawmakers asked him about the mass shooting at the Texas Army post, and Holder said the government is conducting a thorough review of Hasan's background to determine if internal warning signs were missed before the shooting.

On the basis of what he knows now, the attorney general said, he found the contacts between Hasan and the imam "disturbing."

Investigators have said e-mails between Hasan and the imam did not advocate or threaten violence. Holder said investigators are still gathering evidence in the case.