WASHINGTON -- On the third anniversary of the Fort Hood rampage, 148 victims and family members sued the government Monday for compensation for the attack allegedly carried out by an Army psychiatrist who is awaiting trial.

The shooting at the Army base in Texas killed 13 people and wounded more than two dozen others.

The lawsuit alleging negligence by the government said that the Defense Department is avoiding legal and financial responsibility for the killings by referring to the shootings as "workplace violence" rather than as a terrorist attack...

A year before the attack, the FBI uncovered the communications between Hasan and al-Awlaki, but failed to disclose the information to the Defense Department.Al-Awlaki was killed in Yemen last year by a U.S. drone strike...

Neal Sher, an attorney for the victims, said the government has "ignored these claims and under the law we really have been left with no choice" but to sue.

In a conference call with reporters, former Staff Sgt. Shawn N. Manning, who was shot six times by Hasan, said that the terrorism designation which the victims are seeking would cover the cost of the medical services that he requires. The terrorism designation would mean that the wounds the victims suffered qualify as combat-related, resulting in "a huge difference in benefits," said Manning, who was medically discharged from the military about a month ago.