Law & Justice
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution for Fort Hood Mass‑Shooter
President Donald Trump has approved the death by firing squad of former Army major Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting in Texas. The decision revives a practice the U.S. Army has not carried out since 1961. Under Army military justice, premeditated murder carries the death penalty, but executions are rare and require presidential approval. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth initially recommended an execution order; Trump’s approval was announced by Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, who said the Army Secretary will set the time and date. Hasan, a psychiatrist, opened fire on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people, including a pregnant soldier, and wounding 32 others. He was shot and is now paralyzed from the waist down. Hasan represented himself at trial, admitted the attacks, and said he was protesting U.S. wars and the treatment of Muslims. He was convicted on 13 counts of premeditated murder in 2013, with jurors recommending the death penalty. The death sentence was upheld by the Army Court of Criminal Appeals in 2020 and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in 2023. In March 2025 the Supreme Court denied a petition for review, and in September 2025 Hegseth sought presidential approval for execution. Trump’s approval initiates the steps toward execution, though Hasan can still appeal in civilian federal courts. He is currently held at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where other military death‑row inmates are also held.