Fort Hood suspect rests defense without calling a single witness

Maj. Nidal Hasan, the military psychiatrist on trial for killing 13 people during a shooting attack at Fort Hood, Texas, in November 2009, has rested his defense without calling a single witness.

Hasan, an American-born Muslim, is representing himself. The prosecution wrapped up its case on Tuesday after calling some 90 witnesses. On Wednesday, about five minutes after the proceedings began, Judge Col. Tara Osborn asked Hasan how he wanted to proceed.

He answered: "The defense rests."

Hasan is also charged with wounding more than 30 others in the attack on the Texas military base and faces the death penalty if convicted.

Earlier in the trial, the prosecution had attempted to use material to present a motive for the attack, but the judge blocked the evidence. Hasan has himself already made one attempt at discussing his motivations. He tried to raise the argument that he had killed his fellow soldiers to protect Muslims from American military action, referring specifically to the Taliban in Afghanistan, where he was set to deploy.

Acting as his own attorney, Hasan had said in his opening statement that the evidence would show that he was the shooter. "There's death and destruction for both sides," he told the court then. "That is for both friend and foe, but the evidence presented at this trial will only show one side." Court documents reportedly showed that he had told mental health evaluators that he wanted to become a martyr.

Hasan, 42, is paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair after authorities shot him in the back as the shooting attack ended.

Judge Col. Tara Osborn has set closing arguments for Thursday.

Al Jazeera and wire services