President Donald Trump approves the execution of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad, marking the first U.S. military execution since 1961. Hasan was convicted in 2013 for the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting that killed 13 people. The decision, recommended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, follows a botched lethal injection in Tennessee and highlights the administration's expansion of federal execution methods.
Approval of Nidal Hasan's execution
- ▪Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced on October 5, 2026, that President Donald Trump approved former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan's execution, following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recommendation, stating 'judgment day' had arrived
- ▪Campaign group Death Penalty Action criticized President Donald Trump's approval of Nidal Malik Hasan's execution, calling it a distraction to counter low approval ratings
Execution by firing squad
- ▪The Trump administration added death by firing squad, gas asphyxiation, and electrocution as permissible federal execution methods in April due to difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs
- ▪Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Nidal Malik Hasan will be executed by firing squad, marking the first U.S. military execution by this method since the 1945 execution of Private Eddie Slovik
- ▪Legal experts and observers suggested the choice of a firing squad for Nidal Malik Hasan may have been influenced by a failed lethal injection execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee on September 30, 2026
Execution timeline and potential delays
- ▪Nidal Malik Hasan may still seek habeas corpus review in civilian federal court, which legal experts say could delay the execution for years
- ▪Under military policy, the Secretary of the Army must set the time and place for Nidal Malik Hasan's execution to occur between 60 and 150 days after presidential approval
The 2009 Fort Hood attack
- ▪On November 5, 2009, Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 people (12 active-duty soldiers, one retired serviceman) at a Fort Hood, Texas medical processing center, wounding over 30 others, before being shot and paralyzed by police
- ▪The 2009 Fort Hood shooting occurred weeks before Nidal Malik Hasan was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan
The 2013 court-martial and motive
- ▪Nidal Malik Hasan stated during his 2013 court-martial that he carried out the 2009 Fort Hood shooting to wage jihad and prevent U.S. soldiers from deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq
- ▪Prosecutors in the 2013 court-martial of Nidal Malik Hasan described the 2009 Fort Hood shooting as an act of terrorism inspired by extremist Islamist beliefs
Nidal Hasan's background and military career
- ▪Nidal Malik Hasan was born in Virginia to Palestinian immigrant parents and trained as a military psychiatrist, working at Walter Reed Army Medical Center before the 2009 Fort Hood shooting
- ▪Prior to the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, military supervisors documented professional difficulties for Nidal Malik Hasan, including a poor performance evaluation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Status and history of U.S. military executions
- ▪The last execution carried out by the U.S. military occurred in 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was hanged after being convicted of rape and attempted murder
- ▪Nidal Malik Hasan is one of four death row inmates currently held at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, awaiting military execution
Debatable claims
- ▪The U.S. military should permanently end the death penalty
- ▪Execution by firing squad is more humane than lethal injection
- ▪Executing Nidal Hasan will do more harm than good by making him a martyr
- ▪Donald Trump approved Nidal Hasan's execution primarily as a political distraction
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