Trump Endorses Execution of Fort Hood Shooter
President Donald Trump has shown his support for the Department of War’s decision to execute Nidal Malik Hasan, who was responsible for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that took the lives of 14 individuals.
During a Columbus Day event at the White House, Trump spoke about the vandalism of government monuments and mentioned his administration’s push for law and order, expressing concern that “today, you can do almost anything; nothing happens.”
“But we’re changing that, you see that,” Trump stated. “In fact, we’re giving a man the death penalty who killed 14 soldiers a couple of years ago. Death penalty through firing squad.”
“And he deserves it,” he continued. “Killed and wounded many, many people. A maniac.”
On Wednesday, the U.S. Army released details regarding the execution of Hasan, a former Army major and psychiatrist who admitted to a terror attack that not only killed 12 soldiers and one civilian but also injured 32 others. One of the victims, Private First Class Francheska Velez, was pregnant at the time.
Witnesses recounted that Hasan shouted “Allahu Akbar!” during the incident. During his self-represented trial, he claimed to have “switched sides” while serving in the military.
He added, “we Mujahideen are imperfect soldiers trying to establish a perfect religion in the land of the supreme God.”
The term “Mujahideen” broadly refers to those engaged in jihad. Hasan indicated that his attack was aimed at stopping U.S. forces from being sent to Afghanistan. Reports suggest he became disillusioned with the U.S. after hearing accounts from patients returning from the war zones. Supposedly, he mentioned to family that he wished to leave the military.
At the time of the shooting, Hasan was on the brink of deployment to Afghanistan.
His execution by firing squad is set for Thursday, December 3rd, at Fort Hood—the same military base where the shooting took place. This execution was approved by Trump and will be made public through livestreaming, as stated by Pentagon officials.
