WASHINGTON — A law enforcement official says a terrorism task force did not refer early information about the Fort Hood shooting suspect to superiors because they concluded he wasn't linked to terrorism.

The official says a Defense Department worker and an FBI supervisor agreed to end the assessment of Nidal Malik Hasan earlier this year. Authorities had taken a look at Hasan after intercepting messages between the Army psychiatrist and a radical imam overseas.

The official says the FBI supervisor did not authorize that the information about Hasan be shared with other military authorities – and the military investigator didn't ask for authorization – because they didn't find evidence Hasan posed a threat.

The official didn't have authority to discuss the investigation publicly, so spoke anonymously.