The US military has approved the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. The execution will be carried out by firing squad, marking the military's first execution in 65 years. No execution date has been set, and the Secretary of the Army will determine when and where it will take place.
Background of the 2009 Fort Hood Attack
Hasan was an Army psychiatrist stationed at Fort Hood, where soldiers sought his help processing the trauma of war. On the morning of 5 November 2009, he entered the base's Soldier Readiness Centre, where soldiers were preparing for deployment, and opened fire. The attack left 13 people dead and more than 30 others wounded.
Among the deceased was Private First Class Francheska Velez, who was pregnant at the time and reportedly begged for her unborn child's life before she was killed. Investigators later discovered that Hasan had exchanged emails with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical cleric and senior figure in al-Qaeda, in the period before the attack. He was taken into custody after being shot and wounded by a civilian police officer at the scene.
Legal Proceedings and Final Approval
A military jury convicted Hasan in 2013 and sentenced him to death. He has since been held at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, while his case moved through a long chain of appeals. The appeals process concluded in April 2025, when his final legal challenge was rejected, clearing the way for his execution to proceed.
This week, the Pentagon confirmed that President Donald Trump has approved a recommendation from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to carry out Hasan's execution by firing squad. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the decision, stating that the Secretary of the Army will now determine the time and place.
Rarity of Firing Squad Executions
If carried out, it will be the United States military's first execution in 65 years. The last military execution was in 1961, when a soldier was hanged for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl. Firing squads are rare in American capital punishment; South Carolina used the method three times in 2025, marking the first use of a firing squad anywhere in the country since 2010.
Hasan is one of only four prisoners currently held on military death row. No date has yet been set for his execution.
