President Donald Trump has authorized the execution of former US Army Major Nidal Hasan by firing squad for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that claimed 13 lives. The Pentagon confirmed the decision on Monday, stating that the order came at the recommendation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, opened fire at the Texas military base in an attack he later described as retaliation for US military actions in the Muslim world. During the assault, he reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic phrase meaning “God is greatest.” The shooting resulted in the deaths of 12 unarmed active-duty soldiers and one retired serviceman, with 32 others wounded.
The Secretary of the Army will determine the timing and location of the execution, with Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declaring, “Judgment day for Hasan has finally come.”
The Trump administration recently expanded the methods of federal execution to include firing squads, electrocution, and gas asphyxiation. This change was partly driven by growing difficulties in obtaining drugs for lethal injections, which have also faced procedural challenges.
Recent events highlight these challenges, such as a failed execution attempt in Tennessee where prison officials were unable to properly administer a lethal injection to death-row inmate Christa Pike, leaving her unconscious and on life support. Pike’s legal team had previously urged authorities to consider alternative execution methods like hanging or firing squad due to anticipated complications with intravenous access.
Hasan was sentenced to death by a military jury in August 2013 after being convicted of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder. The shooting occurred shortly before his scheduled deployment to Afghanistan. Hasan was shot by police during his arrest, resulting in partial paralysis and confinement to a wheelchair.
Death Penalty Action, an organization opposing capital punishment, responded to the announcement by stating, “There is nothing Donald Trump loves more than the power to kill.”
Military executions are extremely rare, and under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, any death sentence from a court-martial requires presidential approval before it can be carried out. If Hasan’s execution proceeds, it would be the first military execution since 1961. The last military execution by firing squad reportedly took place in November 1945.
Currently, at least five US states authorize firing squads as a method of execution. In 2025, South Carolina conducted the first firing squad execution in the country in 15 years.
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