Nearly 17 years after one of the deadliest attacks ever carried out on a U.S. military base, the case of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan has reached a turning point. President Donald Trump has approved the execution of the convicted Fort Hood shooter by a U.S. Army firing squad, according to announcements made on Monday, October 5, 2026, by Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The decision, if carried out, would make Hasan the first person executed by the U.S. military in more than six decades. It also places a rarely used execution method back in the national spotlight. Below, we break down the case, the legal path that led here, and what happens next. For more breaking stories, follow our U.S. News coverage.
The Announcement From the Pentagon
Parnell shared the news publicly, confirming that the President had signed off on a firing squad execution for Hasan. In his post, he wrote, “Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.” Hegseth separately said that carrying out the sentence would bring justice to the victims of the 2009 attack and their families.
As of now, the Army has not released a date or a location for the execution. Officials have also not shared operational details about how the firing squad would be organized, which is not unusual given how long it has been since the military last carried out a death sentence.
A Look Back at the 2009 Fort Hood Shooting
On the afternoon of November 5, 2009, Hasan, then an Army psychiatrist holding the rank of major, entered the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Texas. The building was busy with soldiers completing medical screenings and paperwork before deploying overseas.
Armed with handguns, Hasan opened fire on unarmed service members and civilians inside. In a matter of minutes:
- 13 people were killed, including 12 soldiers and one civilian employee
- More than 30 others were wounded, with reports citing 32 injured
- The attack ended when a civilian police officer shot Hasan, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down
The shooting stunned the nation. It was not carried out by an outside attacker but by a commissioned officer, and a mental health professional, inside one of the largest military installations in the country. The attack triggered several government and independent reviews examining how warning signs about Hasan were missed before the shooting.
Trial, Conviction and Death Sentence
Hasan, who was born in northern Virginia and is now 56, faced a military court-martial in 2013. He chose to represent himself and openly admitted that he was the shooter. During the proceedings, he said he had acted in support of the Taliban and attempted to argue that he was acting “in defense of others,” a strategy the military judge did not allow.
In August 2013, a military jury found him guilty on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. The same jury recommended the death penalty, and he was sentenced to death.
He was then transferred to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he has remained on death row ever since. Reports indicate that Hasan exhausted his legal appeals in 2025, which cleared the way for the final step in the military justice process: review by the President.
Why the President Must Approve Military Executions
The military death penalty works differently from civilian cases. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a death sentence cannot be carried out until the President personally approves it. This requirement adds an extra layer of review and is one of the main reasons military executions are so rare.
Here’s how the process generally works:
- Court-martial conviction and a unanimous death sentence from the military panel
- Automatic appeals through the military appellate courts
- Possible review by the U.S. Supreme Court
- Presidential approval, the final and mandatory step before any execution
Even after approval, further legal challenges are possible, so the timing of any execution can still shift. You can read more about how the system works through Military Times’ coverage of the decision.
A Historic and Rare Decision
Executions in the U.S. military are extraordinarily uncommon. The last one took place in 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth after being convicted of the rape and attempted murder of a young girl. No service member has been executed since.
Several factors make the Hasan case stand out:
- First military execution in 65 years: If carried out, it would end a gap that has lasted since the Kennedy administration.
- Firing squad method: Firing squads are extremely rare anywhere in the United States, with only a handful used in recent decades.
- Small death row: Only four men, including Hasan, are currently on the military’s death row at Fort Leavenworth.
- Previous approvals stalled: In 2008, President George W. Bush approved the execution of an Army specialist, but legal challenges kept that sentence from being carried out.
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The Wider Death Penalty Debate
The announcement comes at a moment when capital punishment is already making headlines. Just days earlier, a failed lethal injection attempt involving Christa Pike in Tennessee led the state’s governor to pause executions for the rest of the year and order an independent review of the process. When asked about it, the President described the Tennessee situation as an interesting one and suggested lethal injections should not be difficult to carry out.
During his first term, the federal government resumed executions after a long informal pause, putting 13 people to death between 2020 and early 2021, according to reporting from the Associated Press via U.S. News.
Supporters of the decision argue that the severity of the Fort Hood attack, and the length of time families have waited, make the sentence long overdue. Critics of the death penalty, meanwhile, continue to raise concerns about execution methods, costs and the moral questions surrounding capital punishment, regardless of the crime. The firing squad method, in particular, is likely to draw fresh debate among legal experts and civil rights organizations.
Remembering the Victims
For the families and survivors of the Fort Hood attack, the case has never been only about Hasan. The 13 people killed that day were sons, daughters, parents and colleagues, many of them preparing to serve their country overseas. Survivors have spent years recovering from physical injuries and trauma, and many families have spoken publicly over the years about the long wait for the sentence to be carried out.
Whatever one’s view of the death penalty, the anniversary of November 5 remains a solemn date for the military community in Central Texas and across the country.
What Happens Next?
Several key questions remain unanswered:
- When and where: The Army has not announced an execution date or site.
- Legal challenges: Hasan’s legal representatives could still attempt last-minute filings, which may delay the process.
- Procedure: Because the military has not executed anyone in decades, officials will need to establish and publish procedures for a firing squad.
Local outlets in Texas, such as FOX 7 Austin, are following the story closely given Fort Hood’s location in the region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nidal Hasan?
Nidal Malik Hasan is a former U.S. Army major and psychiatrist who carried out the November 5, 2009, shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30.
Why is Hasan being executed by firing squad?
President Trump approved a firing squad as the method of execution for Hasan’s death sentence, which a military jury handed down in 2013. Officials have not publicly detailed the reasoning behind choosing that method.
When was the last U.S. military execution?
The last U.S. military execution happened in 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Has a date been set for the execution?
No. As of October 6, 2026, the Army has not announced a date or location.
Final Word
The approval of a firing squad execution for Nidal Hasan marks a historic moment in military justice and closes in on the final chapter of a case that began nearly 17 years ago. Many details, including timing and procedure, are still unknown, and further legal steps may follow. We will update this story as more information becomes available. Stay informed with the latest headlines on the BusinessToMark homepage.
