Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution for Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan in Rare US Military Death Penalty Case

US President Donald Trump has approved the execution of former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan by firing squad for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. The decision, recommended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, could result in the first US military execution in more than six decades.

Hasan was convicted by a military jury in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. He was sentenced to death after opening fire inside a medical facility at the Texas military base on November 5, 2009, shortly before he was due to deploy to Afghanistan. He was wounded and partially paralysed when police stopped the attack.

During his court-martial, Hasan largely acknowledged that he was responsible for the shooting and argued that he had acted to protect Muslims from US military operations. The attack became one of the deadliest incidents on a US military installation and generated a major debate over the handling of Hasan’s behaviour and concerns that had been raised about his views before the shooting.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Army secretary will determine the time and location of the execution. However, the approval does not mean Hasan will necessarily be executed immediately. Legal challenges through the civilian federal court system could delay the process, potentially for years. Military death sentences require presidential approval before they can be carried out.

If the execution goes ahead, it would be the first carried out by the US military since Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1961. Military executions have remained extremely rare, and only a small number of prisoners are currently held on military death row.

The decision also comes as the use of firing squads receives renewed attention in the United States. South Carolina carried out a firing-squad execution in 2025, while several states permit the method as an alternative to lethal injection. The federal government has also expanded the execution methods available to it amid continuing difficulties with lethal-injection drugs and procedures.

Trump’s approval therefore represents a significant development in a case that has remained unresolved for 17 years. While the Army is expected to determine the next procedural steps, Hasan’s potential execution will also bring renewed attention to military capital punishment, legal appeals and the use of firing squads in the United States.