Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan to be executed by firing squad, Pentagon says

The Trump administration has formally cleared the execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, authorizing his capital sentence to be carried out by firing squad, the Department of Defense announced. Hasan was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in which 13 people were killed.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell disclosed the decision on social media late Monday, stating that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the execution method and that President Donald Trump granted approval. Parnell noted that the Secretary of the Army will determine the specific date and location for the sentence to be implemented.

The execution would represent the first time the United States military has carried out a death sentence on an American service member since 1961, when an Army soldier was executed by hanging following convictions for rape and attempted murder. Firing squads are also exceptionally rare in modern American jurisprudence, though South Carolina executed three individuals using the method last year, ending a nationwide hiatus that had lasted since 2010.

A former military psychiatrist, Hasan carried out the attack at the Texas military base on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people and wounding over 30 others. During his 2013 military trial, Hasan admitted to the killings, arguing that he attacked his fellow service members to safeguard Islamic insurgents overseas from American military operations. A military panel found him guilty and handed down a death sentence.

Hasan's legal proceedings stretched across years of appeals following an unconventional court-martial where he chose to represent himself. During that trial, he frequently conflicted with his assigned standby counsel, who voiced concerns that he was deliberately trying to incur capital punishment. Hasan sought an appeal from the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024, arguing his constitutional right to an open hearing was breached when the courtroom was closed to address matters involving his legal team. The Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal last year.

While lethal injection has long served as the standard capital punishment method for civilian federal prisoners, the Justice Department earlier this year advised that authorities should examine alternative execution procedures, including firing squads, the electric chair, and lethal gas.

According to CBS News, representatives for Hasan's legal counsel were contacted for comment regarding the Pentagon's announcement.