A military appeals court placed the trial for accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Hasan on hold indefinitely Friday amid continuing issues surrounding Hasan's refusal to shave his beard, CNN reported.
The court martial was first halted Wednesday so the appeals court could consider the Army psychiatrist's objections to being forcibly shaved. He has been fined and held in contempt repeatedly for remaining bearded, which is a violation of Army regulations, but says the facial hair is an expression of his faith. Hasan, 41, is an American-born Muslim.
Hasan's court martial had been scheduled to start Monday for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, for which he faces 13 charges of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted meditated murder.
Hasan first grew the beard in June, prompting a pre-trial hearing to be postponed. The judge in the case, Col. Gregory Gross, threatened in July to have Hasan forcibly shaved if he did not comply with orders to remove the beard on his own.
According to CNN, it was unclear how long the case would be on hold.
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