Trump approves firing squad execution for Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan
US President Donald Trump approved the execution of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan by military firing squad following a recommendation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, marking the first military execution since 1961.
Executive authorization
US President Donald Trump approved the execution by military firing squad of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan on 5 October 2026. The decision follows a formal recommendation submitted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced the authorization in a post on X, confirming that Hegseth recommended death by firing squad for Hasan. Parnell stated that the Secretary of the Army, with Adam Telle serving in an acting capacity, will determine the specific date and location for carrying out the sentence.
The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution. Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.
- Hasan opens fire at Fort Hood, killing 13 people and wounding 32
- Military jury sentences Hasan to death by unanimous verdict
- Trump approves Hegseth's recommendation for execution by firing squad
The 2009 Fort Hood attack
Hasan carried out the mass shooting on 5 November 2009 inside the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at the Fort Hood base in Texas. The facility served as a processing location where military personnel prepared for deployment to or returned from combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hasan, then serving on active duty with the rank of major, shouted "Allahu Akbar" before firing on unarmed soldiers.
The shooting resulted in 13 deaths, including 12 soldiers, and left 32 people wounded. A responding civilian police officer shot Hasan during the confrontation, leaving him partially paralyzed. Investigators determined that Hasan, an American-born Muslim of Palestinian descent, sought to stop troops from deploying to wars he considered unlawful. Hasan had also communicated online with radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaida propagandist killed in Yemen by a US drone strike.
- Fatalities
- 13 people
- Injured
- 32 people
Court-martial and legal path
A military court-martial tried Hasan, who chose to act as his own defense lawyer during the proceedings. Court-appointed defense attorneys expressed concern during the trial that he was seeking execution, as he called no witnesses, gave no testimony, and made no attempt to deny the charges. Hasan entered a formal plea of not guilty during the military trial. On 28 August 2013, the jury returned a unanimous verdict, sentencing him to death on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.
Hasan has remained held at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, awaiting final review. His execution will be the first carried out by the US military since 1961, concluding a legal process spanning roughly 17 years.
Security incidents at military sites
While mass shootings in the United States occur frequently, shootings inside military installations remain rare. Several fatal incidents have occurred at US defense sites over the previous years. In 2013, a gunman killed 12 people and wounded eight at a military facility. In 2015, an attacker killed four Marines and a sailor across two sites in Tennessee in violence that the FBI concluded was inspired by a foreign terrorist group. In 2019, a US sailor killed two people and wounded another in Hawaii, while a Saudi military student killed three people at a base in Florida. In 2025, a soldier wounded five troops at a base in Georgia before being apprehended.
