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

President Donald Trump has authorized the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former US Army officer convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, clearing the way for what would be the first military execution carried out by the United States in more than six decades. The approval, announced by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, marks a significant moment in American military justice and signals the Trump administration's broader willingness to pursue capital punishment in high-profile cases.

According to Parnell, the decision followed a recommendation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had publicly pushed for presidential authorization of Hasan's execution in September 2025. Parnell framed the development in stark terms, stating that "judgment day for Hasan has finally come." The time and date of the execution will be determined by Army Secretary Adam Telle, who is currently serving in an acting capacity. The president holds the ultimate authority to approve military executions and to designate the method by which they are carried out.

The case dates back to November 5, 2009, when Hasan, then a major and psychiatrist in the US Army, entered a processing center at Fort Hood, a sprawling military installation in Texas. Witnesses reported that he shouted "Allahu Akbar" before opening fire on fellow service members who were waiting for medical attention. The assault lasted roughly ten minutes, leaving thirteen people dead, including a pregnant soldier, and wounding thirty-two others. It remains the deadliest shooting ever carried out at a US military base and specifically targeted members of the armed forces.

Hasan was subdued after two officers engaged him, and he sustained multiple gunshot wounds that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He was immediately taken into custody and court-martialed, with military prosecutors seeking the death penalty from the outset. Despite the swift filing of charges, the legal process stretched on for years, reflecting the US military's deep-seated reluctance to carry out capital punishment. The military justice system mandates extensive appeals and reviews that can delay executions indefinitely, even after convictions and sentencing are finalized.

During his court-martial, Hasan chose to represent himself and openly admitted to the attack. He claimed he was acting to stop US deployments to Afghanistan and to protest what he described as the killing of his fellow Muslims. Testimony revealed that he had been scheduled to deploy overseas just weeks after the shooting. Investigators also found that Hasan had exchanged emails with Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni-American cleric accused of ties to al-Qaeda, and had repeatedly expressed opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the treatment of Muslims serving in the military.

Hasan made little effort to mount a defense, and his assigned legal counsel argued that his own testimony effectively aided the prosecution. In 2013, he was convicted on thirteen counts of premeditated murder, and the jury recommended the maximum penalty of death. In a controversial legal decision, Hasan was charged with "workplace violence" rather than terrorism, because the military justice code at the time did not specifically address terrorism as a standalone offense. That classification drew criticism from victims' families and lawmakers who believed it understated the nature of the attack.

The appeals process moved slowly, driven by mandatory reviews rather than any effort by Hasan himself to challenge the outcome. In 2020, the US Army Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the death sentence, and in 2023, the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces issued the same ruling. In March 2025, the US Supreme Court declined a mandatory petition for judicial review, removing a significant legal obstacle. By September 2025, Hegseth had announced he was seeking presidential approval to proceed with the execution, though at that time no specific method had been publicly confirmed.

Trump's authorization specifically approves death by firing squad, an unusual method that has rarely been used in modern US military history. Other options available under military law include lethal injection and hanging, both of which have been employed in past executions. The president's authority to select the method is established under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which governs the conduct of service members and the penalties they may face. The decision to opt for a firing squad rather than lethal injection may reflect a desire for a historically resonant form of punishment, given the military's long tradition of firing squads in earlier eras.

Even with presidential approval, the path to execution is not necessarily complete. Hasan retains the right to file appeals in the civilian federal court system, a process that could delay the execution for years. However, legal experts note that such appeals may be unlikely to succeed or even to be pursued, given Hasan's earlier refusal to defend himself and his apparent acceptance of the death sentence. His case now sits at the intersection of military and civilian law, where federal courts have historically exercised limited but meaningful oversight.

Hasan is currently held at the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, the military's only maximum-security prison. He is one of a small number of men on the military's death row, which has remained largely dormant for generations. Among the others is Hasan Akbar, convicted of murdering two fellow soldiers in a grenade attack on a base in Kuwait in 2003 during the invasion of Iraq. Also on death row is Ronald Gray, a convicted serial killer and rapist found guilty of four murders and eight rapes in 2008; his execution was approved under President George W. Bush but was halted by a judge. Timothy Hennis, a former sergeant convicted in 2010 of a triple murder, also remains under a death sentence.

The last military execution in the United States took place in 1961, when former soldier John Bennett was hanged for the rape of an 11-year-old girl. Since then, no service member has been put to death, despite several death sentences being handed down. The military's institutional aversion to capital punishment stems partly from concerns about the fairness and consistency of its application, as well as the lengthy review process designed to prevent irreversible errors. Trump's decision to move forward with Hasan's execution therefore represents a notable break from decades of practice.

The broader political context is also significant. The Trump administration has demonstrated an increased willingness to seek and carry out death sentences for serious crimes, including those committed by civilians. This approach has drawn both support and criticism, with proponents arguing that it delivers justice for victims and opponents warning about the risk of wrongful executions and the moral implications of state killing. Hasan's case, given its high profile and military setting, is likely to intensify that debate. For now, the focus remains on the Army secretary's office, which will set the execution date and oversee preparations at Fort Leavenworth — a process that will unfold under intense public and legal scrutiny.