Trump Approves Firing-Squad Execution of Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan

U.S. President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others.

The decision was announced Monday by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell in a post on X. Parnell said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended execution by an Army firing squad, and Trump approved the recommendation in his capacity as commander in chief.

The Secretary of the Army will determine the date and location of the execution. If carried out, Hasan’s execution would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first military firing-squad execution in decades.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, opened fire on November 5, 2009, at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood. The attack killed 12 active-duty service members and one retired servicemember, while 32 others were wounded.

A military jury convicted Hasan in 2013 on 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder and sentenced him to death. During the attack, witnesses reported that Hasan shouted “Allahu Akbar.” He later said the shooting was intended as retaliation for U.S. military operations involving Muslim countries and to prevent American troops from deploying to Afghanistan.

The decision comes amid renewed debate in the United States over methods of execution. The Trump administration has expanded the federally permissible options to include firing squads, electrocution and gas asphyxiation, alongside lethal injection. The changes have been linked in part to difficulties obtaining lethal-injection drugs and challenges associated with carrying out such executions.

The issue has received additional attention following a failed lethal-injection attempt in Tennessee involving death-row inmate Christa Pike. According to reports, the injection did not result in her death, and she was subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment.

Hasan’s execution date has not yet been announced. The case is expected to draw further attention because military executions in the United States are extremely rare and require presidential approval.