Fort Hood shooter to be executed by firing squad, in first since World War Two

A former military physician convicted of carrying out a deadly mass shooting at a Texas army post will be executed by firing squad, marking the first time the armed forces have used this method since World War Two.

The decision to execute former US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan received formal authorization from President Donald Trump following advice from Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, according to defense department spokesperson Sean Parnell. Writing on the social media platform X, Parnell noted that the precise date and location for the punishment will be designated by the Secretary of the Army.

Hasan killed 13 unarmed service members and wounded 32 other individuals during a November 5, 2009 rampage at Fort Hood. The assault took place inside a crowded medical facility on the base, where personnel were undergoing processing and health screenings prior to deployment. The incident stands as the deadliest non-combat attack on an American military installation.

In 2013, a military court-martial panel consisting of 13 officers found Hasan guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder alongside 32 counts of attempted murder. The panel issued a unanimous recommendation that he receive capital punishment. During his legal proceedings, the former military psychiatrist acknowledged his role as the shooter and asserted that his actions were intended to defend Muslims and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

Under the regulations governing military justice, capital punishment requires the direct consent of the sitting US commander-in-chief, alongside mandatory appellate reviews confirming the legality of the sentence. Hasan is currently one of four condemned service members held on military death row. The armed forces have not carried out an execution since 1961, and this will be the military's first use of a firing squad since the end of the Second World War.

The military death penalty has faced past legal challenges. The US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces ruled it unconstitutional in 1983, though President Ronald Reagan re-established the framework through an executive directive the subsequent year.

Capital punishment remains lawful across 27 US states, within the federal judicial system, and throughout the armed services, although executions are overwhelmingly conducted by individual states rather than federal authorities. Utilizing a firing squad remains exceptionally rare. South Carolina conducted an execution using a firing squad last year, ending a 15-year national hiatus for the method. Mississippi, Oklahoma, Utah, and Idaho also permit the practice.

President Trump has consistently favored capital punishment, issuing an order to revive federal executions on his first day back in office in January 2025. That move reversed an earlier pause instituted by the justice department during the administration of President Joe Biden. In his executive order, Trump characterized the death penalty as a vital deterrent against extreme violent acts.