Trump Approves Military Firing Squad Execution for Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan

President Donald Trump has formally approved the execution by military firing squad of former Army major Nidal Malik Hasan, who killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. The decision follows a recommendation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, setting the stage for a rare military execution under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell announced the decision, noting that Hasan will become only the second person in the United States to face a firing squad since 2010. 'Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has recommended — and President Donald J. Trump has approved — death by U.S. Army firing squad for convicted terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan,' Parnell stated, adding that the Secretary of the Army will determine the date and location of the execution.

In November 2009, Hasan, an Army psychiatrist facing deployment to Afghanistan, entered a military medical processing center armed with two firearms and opened fire on unarmed personnel while shouting 'Allahu Akbar.' Hasan admitted during his 2013 trial that he orchestrated the deadliest domestic military installation attack in U.S. history to prevent American troops from fighting Muslims abroad, claiming he had switched sides in America's conflict with Islam.

The approval comes amid a broader initiative by the Trump administration to expedite capital punishment across federal and military jurisdictions. The Department of Justice recently reauthorized the use of single-drug pentobarbital lethal injections alongside alternative methods like firing squads, reversing execution moratoriums and restrictions implemented during the Biden administration as officials move aggressively to enforce pending death sentences.