Trump approves firing squad execution for Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, Pentagon says

President Donald Trump has greenlit a plan to put convicted Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan to death through a United States Army firing squad, as announced by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell on Monday via the social media platform X/Twitter. The execution method was recommended by Pete Hegseth, and Trump endorsed it, Parnell explained.

Hasan, a former Army major and psychiatrist, carried out a shooting at the Texas military base on November 5, 2009, resulting in the deaths of 13 people and injuries to over 30 others. "The Secretary of the Army will determine the execution's timing and location," Parnell stated, adding, "Judgment day for Hasan has finally arrived."

Hegseth conveyed Parnell's announcement with the remark, "Justice." The specifics of an execution date were not disclosed. Hasan was found guilty in a 2013 court-martial and given a death sentence for the act. During his trial, he admitted to being the shooter and argued that his actions were intended to shield Islamic insurgents from U.S. military personnel, as reported by CBS News.

During the proceedings, Hasan represented himself and engaged in conflicts with his court-appointed standby attorneys, who suggested he was deliberately pursuing a death sentence, according to CBS. CBS reached out to Hasan's attorney for a statement. Hasan sought the Supreme Court's intervention in 2024, alleging that the trial judge had breached his right to a public trial by barring the public from discussions on his disagreements with the standby attorneys.

However, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2025, CBS reported. If carried out, Hasan's execution would mark the first by the U.S. military since 1961, when a soldier was hanged for raping and attempting to murder an 11-year-old girl, as per CBS News. Firing squads are a rare form of execution in the United States, with South Carolina conducting three such executions in 2025, following a nationwide halt in their implementation since 2010.