US President Donald Trump has approved the execution of former US Army Major and psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death for killing 13 people during the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas.
The Pentagon announced on Monday, October 5, 2026, that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had recommended that Hasan be executed by a US Army firing squad and that Trump had approved the recommendation.
The Secretary of the Army will determine the date and location of the execution. No execution date has been announced.
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The decision means the 56-year-old Hasan is set to become the subject of the US military’s first execution in more than six decades if the sentence is ultimately carried out.
What Happened at Fort Hood?
The case dates back to November 5, 2009, when Hasan opened fire at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, a major US Army installation in Texas.
Hasan, who was serving as an Army psychiatrist at the time, used a handgun during the attack.
Thirteen people were killed, including 12 soldiers and one civilian employee, while 32 others were wounded.
Hasan was shot by a civilian police officer who responded to the attack. The injuries left him partially paralysed and he has since used a wheelchair.
During his court-martial, Hasan did not dispute that he was responsible for the shooting. He told the military court that he had acted in support of the Taliban leadership and described his actions as an attempt to protect Muslims from US military operations.
A military jury subsequently found him guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.
He was sentenced to death in August 2013 and transferred to military death row at the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Why Will He Be Executed by Firing Squad?
The Pentagon’s announcement specifically calls for Hasan’s execution by a US Army firing squad.
The choice comes as the US government has expanded the execution methods available for federal capital punishment, including firing squad, electrocution and gas asphyxiation, amid continuing difficulties surrounding lethal injection.
However, Hasan’s case is being handled through the military justice system rather than an ordinary civilian state or federal criminal court.
Under the military justice system, a death sentence imposed by a court-martial cannot be carried out without presidential approval. Trump’s approval therefore represents an important step toward implementing Hasan’s sentence.
Has Nidal Hasan Been Executed?
No.
Trump has approved the execution, but Hasan has not yet been put to death.
The Army still has to establish the time and place for the execution, and legal proceedings could potentially delay the process.
According to the Associated Press, Hasan may also seek relief through the civilian federal court system, meaning Trump’s approval does not necessarily mean the execution will take place immediately.
A Rare Military Execution
If carried out, Hasan’s execution would be the first US military execution since 1961.
The last person executed under the US military justice system was Army Pvt. John A. Bennett, who was hanged at Fort Leavenworth in April 1961 after being convicted of rape and attempted murder.
A firing squad execution would be even more unusual. The last known US military execution by firing squad was Pvt. Eddie Slovik, who was executed by the Army in France in January 1945 for desertion during World War II.
Hasan’s case therefore represents a rare use of the military death penalty and could become the first military execution in the United States in more than 60 years if the sentence proceeds.
For now, however, Hasan remains alive on military death row while the next legal and administrative steps are taken.
