President Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution for Nidal Malik Hasan
President Donald Trump has sanctioned the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, a former U.S. Army major, by firing squad. This decision comes nearly 17 years after Hasan was responsible for the tragic mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas on November 5, 2009.
Hasan, who was an Army psychiatrist, carried out the attack driven by radical Muslim extremism, resulting in the deaths of 13 individuals and injuring 32 others at a soldier readiness center. He was court-martialed and sentenced to death in 2013.
After years of legal challenges, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review his case in March 2025.
Following a recommendation from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, President Trump officially approved the death sentence, delineating execution by firing squad for the convicted individual.
This approval marks a significant step towards closure for a military legal process that has taken nearly two decades. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell emphasized the importance of this moment, stating on social media, “Judgement day for Hasan has finally come,” as preparations ramp up for the execution.
The execution is set for December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. CT at Fort Hood—the location of the original attack. Hasan is currently detained at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
If the execution proceeds as planned, it will be the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first to take place by Army firing squad since World War II. Recently, firing squad methods were reauthorized for federal executions.
Interestingly, officials from the Department of War have suggested that the proceedings might be public and could even be livestreamed. Public executions haven’t happened in the U.S. since 1936, so this move would mark a notable departure from the usual confidentiality surrounding such events.
That said, there is still a chance for further federal legal challenges, which could potentially delay the execution date, similar to previous military death-row cases.
For the victims’ families and the survivors, the presidential sign-off and the scheduled date represent the closest the case has come to final legal resolution after spanning nearly two decades across multiple administrations.
The execution of Nidal Hasan by firing squad will take place at Fort Hood, Texas on Thursday, December 3rd, 2026, at 1 p.m. CT.
