Washington ( CNN ) -- A Washington-based imam told CNN on Monday that alleged Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan approached him for help finding a wife . Imam Yahya Hendi , the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University , said Hasan came to him at least two years ago as the cleric conducted services at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland . `` He said he wanted someone to help him serve , deploy and be understandable and understanding of his own military career , '' Hendi said . `` He saw himself as someone ... continuing his service with the U.S. military till the end of his career . '' The imam said he spoke with Hasan on at least two occasions about his search for a spouse . `` It 's not easy to find , in general , someone who will be willing to travel with you and deploy with you every two years , '' Hendi said . `` But he did want a wife who would stand by him , is [ a ] loyal American , who will help him do his work and his service for the U.S . military . '' The imam 's comments about Hasan 's search for someone who would remain with him throughout his military career were at odds with some statements by Hasan 's family . Relatives have said Hasan tried unsuccessfully to leave the military early -- requests that may have come after Hasan contacted Hendi . The cleric said he did try to help Hasan in his search , thinking of women he knew to whom he could introduce the Army psychiatrist , but he never heard from Hasan again . Authorities say Hasan opened fire at a military processing center at Fort Hood Army Post on November 5 , killing 13 people . Hasan , who was seriously wounded in the incident , was charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder -- charges that make him eligible for the death penalty . Two other imams have told CNN similar stories about Hasan 's search for a wife , and about his conservatism and apparent devotion to Islam -- but those accounts seem to be inconsistent with behavior Hasan exhibited in the last few months . The manager of a strip club near Fort Hood has told reporters that Hasan visited the club a handful of times , staying for several hours each time . `` You know , for me , everything that he did is against the teachings of Islam . Killing fellow soldiers , fellow citizen men and women , the shooting , the bloodshed , speaks of someone who did not understand his faith very well . Islam is against going to strip clubs , but it 's also against killing fellow citizens , '' Hendi told CNN . When taken as a whole , Hasan 's actions in the weeks before the attack at Fort Hood -- the giving away of his possessions , his sometimes conservative dress in white Muslim clothing , and his previous defense of suicide bombings during presentations to classmates -- seem to be those of someone who was preparing for his own death , said CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen . `` I think what he was doing was sort of a jihadist 'death-by-cop , ' '' said Bergen , who based his observations on news reports about Hasan . `` Here 's a guy who obviously had personal problems . He 's a loner , he avoids women basically , has few friends , and then grafted onto that , he finds sort of a jihadist ideology as a way of making sense of everything , and he decides to martyr himself . '' Bergen and other experts say Hasan could be someone who engaged in what they call `` self-radicalization '' : the idea that militant religion might provide an answer to psychological problems that someone already has . Hasan remained hospitalized in Texas , paralyzed from the waist down , his lawyer said . He was shot by a civilian police officer , who was also wounded in the attack .
Imam : Abdul Malik Hasan wanted wife who could deal with his military career . Yahya Hendi is third imam to tell reporters Hasan asked for help finding wife . Manager of strip club tells reporters Hasan visited there several times . Hendi says strip club visits spread Islam -- and so does ` ` their fellow citizens ''