Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's wire transfers to Pakistan occurred in the months leading up to the Fort Hood massacre but were unrelated to it, a federal law enforcement official said Monday.

The money "went to people not related to terrorism," he said, declining to elaborate.

FBI officials investigating the accused Army psychiatrist's motives and connections have closed this line of inquiry but may still be examining other possible foreign financial ties, the official said. He spoke on the condition that he not be identified.

Hasan's civilian attorney said he wouldn't be surprised if his client, a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent, gave money to overseas charities.

"The discovery process is going to take some time," lawyer John Galligan said, "but many of the things that people are all alarmed by are going to be resolved or discounted."

Two congressmen disclosed the Pakistan transfers to The Dallas Morning News almost two weeks ago, saying they had learned of them from sources outside U.S. intelligence agencies.

Experts called the financial activity alarming because the South Asian country is a hub for terrorist fundraising, and Hasan has no known family ties there. They noted that charities in that part of the world often have bank accounts in Britain or the U.S. so donors don't have to deal with wiring money.

One of the congressmen, Rep. Michael McCaul of Austin, said Monday that he wants to be briefed on the FBI's findings.

"If indeed this part of the investigation is closed, then members of Congress who have oversight authority should be able to see where the money was going," he said through a spokesman.

McCaul is a top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee. He and other GOP members – including Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the other congressman who spoke publicly about the Pakistan connection – say U.S. officials have given them too little information about Hasan.

The law enforcement official told The News he didn't know how much money Hasan sent to Pakistan. He would not name the recipients or describe them in general terms.

He did say that Hasan's transfers seemed unrelated to his e-mail correspondence with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric who was born in the U.S. but has lived for years in his parents' native Yemen. In 2001, he was imam of a northern Virginia mosque attended by Hasan's family and some of the 9/11 hijackers. U.S. and Yemeni authorities have questioned him repeatedly about his ties to terrorists; he denies wrongdoing.

An FBI-led terrorism task force intercepted about 18 e-mails between Hasan and al-Awlaki beginning in December 2008. FBI officials have said they didn't investigate because Hasan's questions were consistent with psychiatric research he was doing and al-Awlaki's few responses didn't direct the major "to do anything."

Shortly after the correspondence began, however, al-Awlaki used his blog to urge Western Muslims to donate money to jihadist causes. The blog was part of the cleric's Web page, which also featured a link readers could use to contact him.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, reported Saturday that Hasan and al-Awlaki discussed how to transfer money without attracting U.S. financial regulators' attention. The FBI has not made the e-mails public and declined to comment on the report Monday.

Hasan was a fellow at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress from the time the e-mails began until his transfer to Texas in July. He was studying "disaster and preventive psychiatry" at the center, which is part of the federal medical school at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md.

Officials there have declined in recent days to answer questions about the fellowship program. Its goals include providing military psychiatrists with "expertise on preparing for and responding to mass casualty events," the center's Web site says.

Army investigators are leading the criminal probe and did not respond to interview requests Monday. Defense Department officials declined to comment.

"We are not releasing any information that could jeopardize the investigation," said Lt. Col. Rene White, a department spokeswoman.

Separate from the criminal investigation is a White House-ordered review of all pre-massacre intelligence on Hasan. Some officials have questioned whether the FBI task force failed to share information that the Army might have used to prevent the Nov. 5 shootings. The FBI has stressed that the military was represented on the task force.

The Defense Department is also reviewing the shootings, seeking better ways to identify service members who might be a threat to colleagues. On Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the review should examine whether Hasan should have advanced in the military. He was promoted to the rank of major in May, despite poor performance as a psychiatric resident at Uniformed Services University.

Hasan faces 13 charges of premeditated murder related to the massacre, which ended when police shot and paralyzed him. He remains in intensive care and under guard at an Army hospital in San Antonio. A magistrate decided Saturday that he will remain confined until his military trial.

Galligan, the defense attorney, has suggested he may pursue an insanity defense.

Brooks Egerton reported from Dallas; Dave Michaels reported from Washington. Staff writer Lee Hancock contributed from the Fort Hood area.