President Trump approved a U.S. Army firing squad to carry out the death sentence for Fort Hood killer Nidal Malik Hasan, marking the first military execution move in more than six decades.
Story Highlights
- Pentagon spokesman says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended a firing squad and President Trump approved it.
- Army Secretary will set the time and place; no date announced yet.
- Hasan was convicted in 2013 for killing 13 and wounding dozens at Fort Hood.
- The decision would make this the first U.S. military execution since 1961.
Pentagon Announces Approval and Next Steps
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Monday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended execution by firing squad and President Trump approved the method for Nidal Malik Hasan. Parnell added that the Secretary of the Army will set the time and place. Agencies reported the announcement on October 5 and October 6, keeping the chain of approval and logistics the same across outlets. The Army has not released a schedule. Officials have not announced a location for the execution.
Reporters noted that this would be the first U.S. military execution in more than 60 years if carried out. The military last executed a prisoner in 1961, making this a rare step under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Hasan’s case now moves from years of review toward action by the Army Secretary, who controls timing and logistics under this plan. Coverage of the announcement stressed the method as a firing squad rather than another option.
Who Hasan Is and What the Jury Decided
In 2013, a military jury convicted Hasan for the 2009 Fort Hood attack that killed 13 and wounded more than 30 others. The jury sentenced him to death. That sentence stood through years of appeals. Major outlets covering the new approval made clear that the conviction and sentence were already in place before the Pentagon statement. The announcement changes the method and moves the case from appeals to the implementation phase under Army authority.
Hasan’s attack was one of the deadliest mass shootings on a U.S. military base. The victims included soldiers preparing to deploy and civilians working on base. Families waited as the military justice system reviewed the case for years. Monday’s news signals that the government will enforce the jury’s decision. Officials did not provide Hasan’s current confinement details in this round of reporting, and no separate prison records were released alongside the announcement.
Why a Firing Squad and What It Means
Firing squads have a long tie to military discipline and battlefield-era justice. Reporters explained that firing squads are rare in modern America and are linked more to military history than to civilian prisons. That link underscores why the method was chosen in a military case, and why it stands out today. The firing squad detail, emphasized by every outlet that covered the news, shaped public focus on the gravity and finality of the decision.
🚨Trump has approved the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former U.S. Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009.
🔷 Hasan opened fire on soldiers who were waiting at a medical clinic, killing 13 people and injuring 32 others.
🔷 He was convicted… pic.twitter.com/TiF05C1dO3
— Leah_לאה (@Weisslbj333Leah) October 6, 2026
Analysts also pointed out that the military death penalty remains extremely rare. The combination of a military case, a firing squad, and the first execution since 1961 makes this step notable beyond the single defendant. That context helps explain why the Pentagon used a clear approval chain in public: recommendation by the Defense Secretary, approval by President Trump, and scheduling by the Army Secretary. Each part shows who owns which decision in this process.
What Happens Next Under the Trump Administration
The Army Secretary will set the execution details, including time and place, after the presidential approval of the method. Agencies said no date has been named. The decision sits within President Trump’s stated focus on law and order and on honoring victims and military families. For many service members and families hurt by the Fort Hood attack, the move signals that justice delayed will not be justice denied. Officials have not mentioned any new legal hurdles at this stage.
Conservatives will see this as government doing its core job: protect innocent people, punish evil acts, and respect the jury’s verdict. This step tells would-be attackers that the United States will not shrug at terror on a U.S. base. It also reminds leaders that process matters. The Pentagon gave a clear line of authority, and the Army will handle the final steps. The nation now waits for the schedule to close a long and painful chapter.
Sources:
cbsnews.com, nampa.org, upi.com, cnn.com, washingtonexaminer.com
