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Pentagon: Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan to be executed by firing squad on Dec 3, first US military execution since WWII
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The Pentagon has announced that former US Army major Nidal Hasan will be executed by firing squad, marking the first military execution in over 60 years. Hasan fatally shot 13 unarmed soldiers and injured 32 others at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, in the deadliest non-combat attack on a US military base. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated on social media that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the execution and President Donald Trump approved it. The execution is scheduled for 3 December at Fort Hood, as announced by the Secretary of the Army. Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist, admitted in court to being the gunman and apologized for 'any mistakes,' stating during his 2013 court-martial that he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The military death penalty requires presidential approval and appellate review; it was deemed unconstitutional in 1983 but reinstated in 1984 by executive order under President Ronald Reagan. Trump, a proponent of the federal death penalty, reinstated it via executive order in January 2025, describing capital punishment as an essential tool for deterring heinous crimes.
Source report
Image caption: An undated handout image of Hasan that was released by authorities in 2012
By Sareen Habeshian Updated 1 hour ago
The Pentagon has announced it will execute a former US Army major by firing squad, the first military execution in more than 60 years.
Nidal Hasan fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, injuring another 32.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced on social media on Monday that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had made the recommendation and President Donald Trump approved it.
The execution is scheduled to take place at Fort Hood in Texas on 3 December, the secretary of the US Army said on Tuesday. It will be the first military execution by firing squad since the end of World War Two.
"Judgement day for Hasan has finally come," Parnell wrote on X.
Background on the Attack
Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist from Virginia, killed 13 soldiers at the base in Texas in 2009 and later admitted in court he was the gunman and apologised for "any mistakes".
He said during his court-martial in 2013 that he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The killings on 5 November 2009 were the deadliest ever non-combat attack on an American military base. The attack took place in a crowded medical building where deploying soldiers were awaiting check-ups and vaccines.
Legal and Procedural Context
Hasan is currently one of four inmates on the US military's death row.
A military execution requires approval from the US president, according to military law. It also requires appellate review and a final judgment on its legality to move forward.
The US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces deemed the military death penalty unconstitutional in 1983, but it was reinstated the following year by an executive order under then-President Ronald Reagan.
Military vs. State Executions
Military executions differ from those carried out at the state level. The majority of executions in the US are carried out on the state level, with 27 states, the military and the federal government still having capital punishment as a legally available option.
Death by firing squad is rather uncommon. There was an execution by firing squad carried out last year in South Carolina, a first for the state and the first time the method was used in the US in 15 years. Four other states allow the use of a firing squad, including Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah.
Federal Death Penalty Under Trump
Trump has been a proponent of the federal death penalty and reinstated it through an executive order on the first day of his administration in January 2025.
Under his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, the justice department had issued a moratorium on the federal use of the death penalty.
The executive order signed by Trump 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".
Related Topics
- United States Army
- Donald Trump
- Capital punishment
- Watch: Why is America running out of execution drugs?
Source
BBC NewsWestern