Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution for Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan, Reviving Military Death Penalty After 65 Years

President Donald Trump has authorized the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former U.S. Army officer convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, and has designated death by firing squad as the method. The decision, announced through a statement from Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, marks a significant moment in U.S. military justice, as it would end more than six decades without a military execution if carried out. The last execution under the military justice system occurred in 1961.

According to the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had initially recommended that Hasan's execution be approved. Trump subsequently signed off on the order, which represents an extraordinary exercise of presidential authority over capital punishment in the armed forces. Parnell, in a post on X, declared that "judgment day for Hasan has finally come," adding that the timing of the execution will be determined by Army Secretary Adam Telle, who is currently serving in an acting capacity.

The case dates back to November 5, 2009, when Hasan, then a U.S.-born Army major and psychiatrist, entered an army processing center at Fort Hood, Texas, shouted "Allahu Akbar" and began shooting at fellow service members who were waiting for medical attention. The attack, which unfolded over approximately ten minutes, left 13 people dead, including a pregnant soldier, and wounded 32 others. Analysts have described it as the deadliest shooting at a U.S. military installation targeting armed forces personnel. Hasan was shot and subdued after two officers engaged him; he survived but remains paralyzed from the waist down.

Hasan was court-martialed and faced the death penalty from the outset, but the case dragged on for years after his conviction. The prolonged timeline reflects the U.S. military's historical reluctance to carry out capital punishment. During the trial, Hasan chose to represent himself and admitted to the attack, stating that he was trying to prevent deployments to Afghanistan and the killing of fellow Muslims. He was scheduled to deploy weeks after the shooting. His defense was minimal, and his assigned lawyers argued that his own testimony ultimately helped the prosecution.

Investigations revealed that Hasan had exchanged emails with Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni-American cleric accused of ties to al-Qaeda, before the attack. He had also repeatedly expressed opposition to the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as to what he described as the mistreatment of Muslims in the military. In 2013, he was convicted on 13 counts of premeditated murder, and the jury recommended the maximum sentence of death. Notably, Hasan was charged with "workplace violence" rather than terrorism, because the military justice code at the time did not specifically address terrorism as a crime, a point that sparked controversy.

The appeals process was lengthy and mandatory under military law, not because Hasan actively pursued it. In 2020, the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the death sentence, and in 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces affirmed the ruling. In March 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a mandatory petition for judicial review. Then, in September 2025, Hegseth publicly announced that he was seeking presidential approval for Hasan's execution. At that time, there was no indication that Hegseth specifically sought death by firing squad. The president holds the ultimate authority to determine the method of execution, which could have included lethal injection or hanging, both of which have been used by the U.S. military in the past.

Trump's approval sets in motion a series of steps toward carrying out the execution, but Hasan still has legal options. He could file an appeal in the civilian federal court system, potentially delaying the process for years. However, legal observers note that such a move may be unlikely given Hasan's decision not to mount a robust defense during his trial. He is currently held at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, where three other men have been on military death row for years.

Among those inmates is Hasan Akbar, who was convicted of two counts of murder after attacking fellow soldiers at a Kuwait base in 2003 during the invasion of Iraq. Another is Ronald Gray, a convicted serial killer and rapist found guilty of four murders and eight rapes in 2008. Gray's execution was approved the same year under President George W. Bush, but a judge halted the process. Timothy Hennis, a former sergeant convicted in 2010 of a triple murder, also remains on death row.

The last military execution took place in 1961, when former soldier John Bennett was hanged for the rape of an 11-year-old girl. Since then, the military has largely shied away from capital punishment, making Trump's decision a notable departure from decades of practice. The move also aligns with the Trump administration's broader willingness to pursue death sentences for serious crimes, including cases involving civilians.

The approval of a firing squad execution is particularly rare in modern American history. While firing squads have been used in a handful of state executions in recent years, they remain an uncommon method. The military's decision to authorize this method for Hasan underscores the exceptional nature of the case. It also raises questions about the future of capital punishment in the military justice system, which has long been criticized for its slow and cumbersome appeals process.

Legal experts suggest that the case could reignite debates over the death penalty, both within the military and across the United States. Supporters of the decision argue that justice has been delayed for too long and that the severity of Hasan's crimes warrants the ultimate punishment. Opponents, however, point to the prolonged appeals and the rarity of military executions as evidence that the system is not designed to carry out such sentences efficiently or consistently. The method itself, they note, is archaic and raises concerns about dignity and cruelty.

The timing of the execution remains uncertain. Army Secretary Telle will set the date, but the appeals process could stretch on for years. If the execution proceeds, it would be the first military execution since 1961, a milestone that would draw intense public scrutiny. It would also test the military's ability to carry out a sentence that has been on the books for over a decade, amid continuing legal and ethical challenges. For now, Hasan remains at Fort Leavenworth, his fate in the hands of a legal system that has moved slowly but, under the current administration, appears increasingly determined to see the sentence carried out.