The man who plotted to copy Nidal Hassan’s attack on Fort Hood has an interesting history. It turns out he became a hero to the anti-war movement (and some media outlets) for his previous attempts to avoid being deployed by claiming conscientious objector status.

Pfc. Nasser Abdo, the 21-year-old soldier arrested Thursday in connection with an alleged plot to attack Fort Hood, had ties to a number of prominent anti-war organizations, including Iraq Veterans Against the War and Courage to Resist, Raw Story can confirm.

Abdo, who went AWOL from duty over the July 4 weekend after being charged with possession of child pornography, was an applicant for conscientious objector (CO) status, supported by the Oakland-based GI rights group Courage to Resist. In turn, his efforts to resist deployment were supported by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), one of the best-known anti-war groups in the nation. …

In the wake of Abdo’s arrest, Courage to Resist removed a page on their website that detailed Abdo’s plight, but it was preserved through Google cache. Reached by Raw Story, Jeff Paterson, the group’s project director, acknowledged that they had tried to cover up their involvement with the soldier and said they would be issuing a statement in the coming hours.

Abdo was found not only in possession of child pornography but also of Islamist literature, indicating he has sympathy for Islamic radicals.

Iraq Veterans Against War (IVAW) denies it has “concrete” links with Abdo, but then admits the group supported his conscientious objector case and praised his work again, I kid you not, Islamaphobia.

Another anti-war group, Courage to Resist, now admits that Abdo displayed both mental issues and a belief in Islamic extremist principles, including being “disrespectful to women”.

Fun fact: Abdo was only caught thanks to a retired police officer who worked at the local gun store. When Abdo began asking suspicious and threatening questions, the retired officer quickly notified authorities. Good man.