The short version
- President Donald Trump has approved the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan by firing squad, reversing a moratorium established under the previous administration.
- Hasan was convicted in 2013 for killing thirteen soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, an attack described as the deadliest non-combat assault on a U.S. military base.
- The decision marks the first time the U.S. military has carried out an execution since World War II, with the Secretary of the Army tasked with setting the specific date and location.
The Pentagon has confirmed that President Donald Trump has authorized the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, a former U.S. Army major who killed thirteen soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas nearly two decades ago. The decision, announced by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell on social media, marks a significant shift in military justice policy and ends a more than sixty-year hiatus on capital punishment within the armed forces. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the action, which Trump approved, signaling a return to the use of the death penalty for military personnel convicted of severe crimes.
Hasan, who served as an army psychiatrist, opened fire at a medical facility on November 5, 2009, targeting soldiers who were preparing for deployment to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. The attack resulted in thirteen deaths and thirty-two injuries, making it the deadliest non-combat shooting on an American military base in history. A civilian police officer responded to the scene and shot Hasan, leaving him partially paralyzed. The incident occurred in a crowded building where troops were awaiting routine check-ups and vaccinations, turning a standard medical procedure into a site of mass violence.
The legal proceedings against Hasan concluded in 2013 when a jury panel composed of thirteen officers unanimously recommended the death penalty. He was convicted on thirteen counts of premeditated murder and thirty-two counts of attempted murder. During the court-martial, Hasan chose to represent himself, calling no witnesses and offering no testimony that denied the charges. Court-appointed attorneys expressed concerns that he appeared to be seeking execution rather than defending his life. In court, he admitted to being the gunman and apologized for any mistakes, while also stating he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The path to this execution involved complex legal and political maneuvers. Military executions require presidential approval under current law, a process that had been stalled during the administration of former President Joe Biden, who issued a moratorium on federal capital punishment. Trump reversed this stance early in his term with an executive order reinstating the death penalty, describing it as an essential tool for deterring heinous violence. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces had previously deemed the military death penalty unconstitutional in 1983, but it was reinstated the following year by President Ronald Reagan via executive order.
The method of execution chosen—a firing squad—is historically rare within the U.S. military context. It will be the first such execution since the end of World War II. While uncommon, firing squads have seen limited use in recent years at the state level; South Carolina used the method last year, marking its first use in fifteen years. Several other states, including Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah, retain the option for firing squad executions. The Secretary of the Army is now responsible for determining the specific time and place for Hasan’s execution, a logistical step that follows the final legal approvals.
Hasan is currently one of four inmates on the U.S. military’s death row. His case has drawn attention not only for the severity of the crime but also for his ideological motivations. During the trial, it was revealed that Hasan had communicated online with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical cleric and American citizen who was later killed in a drone strike in Yemen. Al-Awlaki was known as an al-Qaida propagandist. The court heard testimony that Hasan opposed U.S. military occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, framing his actions within a broader ideological conflict rather than personal grievance.
The approval of this execution occurs against a backdrop of sporadic violence at U.S. military installations. While mass shootings are disturbingly common in the United States generally, they remain rare on military bases. Recent incidents include a 2025 shooting in Georgia where a soldier wounded five troops, and a 2019 incident in Hawaii where a sailor killed two people. In 2015, a Kuwaiti-born U.S. citizen attacked two installations in Tennessee, killing four Marines and a sailor, an act the FBI linked to foreign terrorist inspiration. These events highlight ongoing security challenges within military communities.
The decision to proceed with Hasan’s execution underscores a broader political stance on capital punishment under the current administration. Trump’s executive order explicitly frames the death penalty as a deterrent for lethal violence against citizens. This contrasts sharply with the previous administration’s approach, which sought to pause federal executions pending further review. As the Secretary of the Army finalizes the logistics, the case will likely draw significant attention from legal scholars, military officials, and human rights advocates who debate the efficacy and morality of capital punishment in a modern military context.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- BBC World↗Fort Hood shooter to be executed by firing squad, in first since World War Two
- The Guardian World↗Trump approves firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter, Pentagon says
