Fort Hood shooter to be executed by firing squad, in first since World War Two

The Pentagon announced it will execute former U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad, the first military execution carried out by that means since the end of World War II. Hasan, a psychiatrist and Army major, shot and killed 13 unarmed service members and wounded 32 others at Fort Hood, Texas, on 5 November 2009. The attack occurred in a crowded medical facility where soldiers awaiting check‑ups and vaccinations were present. It remains the deadliest non‑combat assault on an American military base. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell disclosed the decision on social media Monday, stating that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had proposed the action and President Donald Trump had approved it. Parnell added that the Secretary of the Army will determine the exact time and location of the execution. He wrote on X, “Judgement time for Hasan has yet come.” Hasan was convicted by a panel of 13 officers on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder; the panel unanimously recommended a death sentence. During his 2013 court‑martial he said he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan and later admitted in court that he was the gunman, apologizing for “any mistakes.” He is presently one of four inmates on the military’s death row. Military executions require presidential approval under military law, as well as appellate review and a final judgment on legality before proceeding. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces ruled the military death penalty unconstitutional in 1983, but it was reinstated the following year by an executive order issued under President Ronald Reagan. Military executions differ from those carried out at the state level. Across the United States, 27 states, the federal government and the military retain capital punishment as a legal option. Executions by firing squad are rare; the most recent such execution took place last year in South Carolina, marking the first use of the method in the state and the first nationwide in 15 years. Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah also permit firing‑squad executions. President Trump has advocated for the federal death penalty, reinstating it via an executive order on the first day of his second term in January 2025. His order characterizes capital punishment as “an indispensable tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens.” Under his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, the Justice Department had instituted a moratorium on federal executions.