Trump Approves Firing Squad for Fort Hood Killer Nidal Hasan After Hegseth's Stunning Move

President Donald Trump has approved the execution of former US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad, following a recommendation from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The decision is notable because Hegseth recommended a US Army firing squad, a method not used for a US military execution since 1945.

The Pentagon has not publicly explained why Hegseth recommended the firing-squad method.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth recommended the firing-squad execution and Trump approved it. He added: 'Judgment Day for Hasan has finally come.'

Neither Hegseth nor the Pentagon has publicly explained why the firing squad was recommended as the method of execution.

A Military Execution Not Seen in 65 Years

If carried out, Hasan's execution would be the first US military execution since Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged in 1961.

It would also be the first known US military firing-squad execution since 1945, making the method almost as significant as the death sentence itself.

Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a court-martial death sentence cannot be carried out until it has been approved by the president. Trump's approval clears that requirement, but Hasan could still pursue further legal challenges that could delay the execution.

Why the Timing Is So Striking

Trump's approval comes days after Tennessee authorities botched the lethal-injection execution of death-row prisoner Christa Pike.

Pike survived after prison officials administered two doses of pentobarbital on Sept. 30 and she was taken to hospital. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee subsequently suspended the state's remaining 2026 executions and ordered an independent review.

No public statement from Hegseth or the Pentagon has linked the Tennessee incident to the decision on Hasan's execution method. The timing has nevertheless drawn renewed attention to the methods used to carry out executions.

Separately, the Trump administration has expanded the federal execution protocol to include additional methods such as the firing squad, alongside lethal injection, according to the Justice Department.

When Could Hasan Be Executed?

Trump's approval begins the next stage of a legal process that has continued for more than a decade.

The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution, while Hasan can still pursue federal court challenges that could delay the process.

That leaves the door open to further litigation even after Trump's order.

The Fort Hood Shooting

The case dates back to 5 November 2009, when Hasan opened fire inside a medical processing facility at Fort Hood, Texas.

Thirteen people were killed, including 12 active-duty soldiers and a retired soldier working as a civilian, while 32 others were wounded. Hasan was shot by a responding police officer and was partially paralysed.

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was due to deploy to Afghanistan shortly after the shooting.

The Trial That Ended in Death

At his 2013 court-martial, Hasan represented himself, called no witnesses and did not dispute that he carried out the shooting.

A military jury convicted him of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder and sentenced him to death. Hasan acknowledged carrying out the shooting and said he had acted in opposition to US military operations in Muslim countries.

His appeals continued for years before the US Supreme Court denied his petition for review on 31 March 2025.

The Bigger Death-Row Question

Hasan is one of four people currently on military death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Army Specialist Ronald Gray is another. President George W. Bush approved Gray's execution in 2008, but a federal judge later issued a stay, leaving him on military death row.

Hasan's case could mark the US military's first execution in more than six decades.

The Pentagon has announced the decision but has not publicly explained why Hegseth recommended the firing-squad method.