Pentagon Approves Firing Squad Execution of Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan

The Pentagon has confirmed that Nidal Malik Hasan, the former US Army major responsible for the 2009 Fort Hood massacre, will be put to death by firing squad, marking the first military execution using that method since the conclusion of World War Two. The announcement was made by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, who stated on social media that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had recommended the execution and that President Donald Trump had given it his approval.

Hasan, a psychiatrist who served in the US Army, opened fire inside a crowded medical facility at the Fort Hood base in Texas on 5 November 2009. Thirteen unarmed soldiers were killed in the assault, and a further 32 people were wounded. The attack remains the deadliest non-combat incident ever to take place on an American military installation.

The shooting unfolded as service members, many preparing for deployment, waited for routine medical checks and vaccinations. Hasan, who was born in Virginia, later admitted in court that he had carried out the killings, offering an apology for what he described as "any mistakes." During his 2013 court-martial, he claimed he had acted to protect Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan, a justification that shocked many observers and survivors of the attack.

A panel of 13 military officers convicted Hasan on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. The same jury unanimously recommended that he receive the death penalty. Parnell, in his statement, declared that "judgement day for Hasan has finally come," signalling the Pentagon's resolve to proceed with the sentence after years of legal delays.

Under US military law, a military execution cannot move forward without the approval of the president. It also requires appellate review and a final legal judgment confirming the lawfulness of the sentence. These procedural safeguards have contributed to the lengthy period between Hasan's conviction and the government's decision to authorise his execution.

The US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces had ruled the military death penalty unconstitutional in 1983, but the practice was reinstated the following year through an executive order issued by then-President Ronald Reagan. Since that restoration, executions at the military level have been exceptionally rare, making Hasan's scheduled firing squad death a historic moment in American military justice.

The Secretary of the Army will determine both the timing and the location of the execution, according to Parnell. Hasan is currently one of only four inmates held on the US military's death row, a small and isolated population that reflects the infrequency with which capital sentences are carried out within the armed forces.

Firing squad executions are highly unusual in the United States. While capital punishment remains a legally available option at the state level in 27 states, as well as under the military and federal systems, the vast majority of executions are conducted by lethal injection. Death by firing squad has been used only sporadically, with South Carolina carrying out such an execution last year — the first in that state and the first use of the method anywhere in the country in 15 years.

Four other states permit the use of a firing squad as a method of execution: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah. Despite these provisions, the practice remains rare, and the military's decision to employ it for Hasan underscores the unique nature of his case and the severity of his crimes.

The announcement reflects the broader stance of the Trump administration on capital punishment. On the first day of his administration in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order reinstating the federal death penalty, reversing the moratorium that had been imposed under his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. The justice department under Biden had paused federal executions, a policy that Trump has now decisively rolled back.

Trump's executive order describes capital punishment as "an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens." That language signals a firm commitment to expanding the use of the death penalty at the federal level, a position that aligns with the decision to move forward with Hasan's execution.

The case has drawn attention to the complex legal and moral questions surrounding military executions. Unlike state-level executions, which fall under the jurisdiction of individual states, military executions are governed by a separate legal framework that involves presidential authorisation and review by military appellate courts. This process is designed to ensure that capital sentences are carried out only after exhaustive legal scrutiny.

For the families of the victims and the survivors of the Fort Hood attack, the announcement may bring a measure of closure after more than a decade of legal proceedings. However, the decision is also likely to reignite debates over the death penalty, particularly its application within the military justice system and the rarity of firing squad executions in modern America.

Hasan's case has been a subject of intense public interest since the day of the shooting. The attack prompted sweeping reviews of security protocols on military bases and raised questions about how the military identifies and responds to potential threats from within its own ranks. Hasan's role as a psychiatrist made the betrayal particularly difficult for many in the armed forces to comprehend.

As the Pentagon moves forward with the execution, the proceedings will be closely watched by legal experts, human rights organisations and the public alike. The timing and location set by the Secretary of the Army will determine when the first military firing squad execution in more than 60 years takes place, closing a chapter that began with one of the darkest days in the history of the US armed forces.