The Pentagon announced that President Donald Trump has approved the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major responsible for the deadly 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan will be put to death by U.S. Army firing squad.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the firing squad method, and Trump formally approved it. Sean Parnell, assistant to the Secretary of Defense for public affairs, confirmed the decision in a post on X, stating that the Secretary of the Army will determine the time and place of the execution.
Hasan was convicted on 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder for the November 5, 2009 attack at Fort Hood. A military jury unanimously sentenced him to death following the shooting that claimed 13 lives and wounded dozens more.
If carried out, Hasan’s execution would mark the first time the U.S. military has executed one of its own in more than 65 years. The last military execution took place in April 1961 when Army Private John A. Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Firing squads have rarely been used in modern American executions but have seen renewed consideration in recent years. A Justice Department report from April 2026 noted that five states currently permit firing squads as an execution method and recommended that federal execution protocols expand to include the practice alongside alternatives to lethal injection.
Military death sentences operate under a separate system from civilian federal executions and require direct presidential approval before they can be carried out. That approval has now been granted in Hasan’s case.
The Fort Hood massacre remains one of the deadliest mass shootings ever to occur on a U.S. military installation. Hasan opened fire on soldiers and civilians at the base’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center, targeting service members preparing for overseas deployment.
Hasan has been on military death row since his conviction and has made no secret of his motivations, having expressed support for radical ideology before and after the attack. The case drew national attention and sparked significant debate over military security protocols and the handling of internal threats.
The announcement signals a major step toward closing one of the most painful chapters in the history of Fort Hood, now officially renamed Fort Cavazos. No specific date for the execution has been publicly announced as the Secretary of the Army works to set the final details.