U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, asked that the House Homeland Security Committee begin its own investigation into whether Army Maj. Midal Malik Hasan had ties to radical groups and whether the Army knew about them.

The FBI and Army investigators knew about Hasan’s contacts with a radical cleric in Yemen, who praised the Fort Hood shooter as a "hero" on his Web site.

In a letter to Democratic Rep. Jane Harman of California, the chairwoman of the committee’s intelligence subpanel, McCaul said the committee should examine Hasan’s contacts in recent months and whether he was responsible for an Internet posting, written under the name "NidalHasan" that legitimized Muslim suicide bombers.

McCaul, the top Republican member of the intelligence subcommittee, also asserted that lawmakers should examine why the Army didn’t take "personnel action" against Hasan after learning about his strong opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"While it has been documented that Mr. Hasan suffered from emotional distress that may have contributed to his actions, reports of religious and political beliefs, and actions he is said to have taken leading up to the shootings, bring to question whether Mr. Hasan was motivated by outside influences including terrorist organizations," McCaul wrote.