HOUSTON - Victims and family members of the US Fort Hood army base shooting on Monday sued the government for compensation for the attack that left 13 dead and more than 30 others wounded three years ago.

The lawsuit, brought by 148 victims and family members of the 2009 mass shooting at the Fort Hood army base, Texas, alleged negligence by the government, saying that the US 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, according to NBC news.

The suit alleged that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other officials disregarded the safety of soldiers and civilians at Fort Hood. It also alleged that they allowed military psychiatrist Nidal Hasan to be in a position to open fire on the troops despite knowing he was a "radical extremist".

The lawsuit, which attributed the government's alleged inaction to elevating "political correctness" over national security, sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, according to the report.

Hasan allegedly opened fire with two handguns on unarmed soldiers who were preparing for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan at a crowded medical building at Fort Hood on Nov 5, 2009.

Hasan, who was paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by police the day of the rampage, has been in custody since the shooting.

He has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. If convicted, he faces death penalty.