FORT HOOD, Texas – According to posts on Monday from Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump has approved a U.S. Army firing squad to execute Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 shooting in Fort Hood, Texas.
BELL COUNTY, TX – APRIL 9: In this photo released by the Bell County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who is charged with murder in the Fort Hood shootings, is seen in a booking photo after being moved to the Bell Count
Trump approves firing squad execution, officials say
What we know:
Hegseth recommended the execution method, and Trump approved it, Parnell said on X.
“The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution,” Parnell wrote.
Hegseth said Hasan’s execution would deliver justice for the victims of the attack.
History of military death penalty, firing squad executions in the U.S.
If carried out, Hasan’s execution would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth.
Firing-squad executions are extremely rare in the United States. South Carolina carried out three such executions in 2025: Brad Sigmon in March, Mikal Mahdi in April and Stephen Bryant in November. They were the first U.S. firing-squad executions since 2010.
2009 Fort Hood shooting and Nidal Hasan conviction
The backstory:
Hasan entered Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center on Nov. 5, 2009, and opened fire on service members preparing for deployment. 13 people were killed and 32 were wounded.
A military jury convicted Hasan in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. He was sentenced to death and has been held at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Hasan exhausted his appeals in 2025, clearing the way for the president to review his death sentence. Hegseth had previously said he was committed to carrying out the sentence.
Execution date and location pending
What’s next:
The Army has not announced a date or location for Hasan’s execution.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by social media posts and FOX News.