President Donald Trump has approved the firing squad execution for Nidal Malik Hasan. This move marks the first time the U.S. Army will use this method since 1961. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended the action, according to The Daily Caller.
Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell posted the news on X late Monday.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has recommended — and President Donald J. Trump has approved — death by U.S. Army firing squad for convicted terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan, the jihadist who opened fire on unarmed American soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009. He killed 13 people and wounded 32 others while shouting “Allahu Akbar” during the attack.
The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution. Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) October 5, 2026
The Secretary of the Army will now set the specific time and place. This order follows Hasan’s court martial where he admitted to the shooting. The Daily Signal reported that Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 32 others while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ during the attack.
Hasan was a former military psychiatrist who opened fire on November 5, 2009. He used a semi-automatic handgun to kill 13 soldiers, including a pregnant female soldier. In 2013, Hasan said he carried out the attack in support of the Taliban, per The Daily Signal.
Records show Hasan donated $20,000 to $30,000 per year while making about $92,000 as an Army Major. ABC News reported in 2009 that he was in contact with Anwar al-Awlaki, a Muslim cleric and Al-Qaeda recruiter. A US official told ABC News that “Hasan told Awlaki he couldn’t wait to join him in the discussions they would having over non-alcoholic wine in the afterlife.”
Secretary Hegseth previously said he was “100% committed to ensuring the death penalty is carried out for Nidal Hasan.” He also stated that “The victims and survivors deserve justice without delays,” according to The Daily Signal. Parnell added that “Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.”
The last military firing squad execution happened on January 31, 1945. A firing squad in France executed Pvt. Eddie D. Slovik for desertion during World War II. Daily Signal noted this long gap before the current approval.
This decision brings a specific end to a case that has dragged on for over a decade. The victims’ families have waited a long time for this final step. The Army will handle the logistics once the Secretary sets the date.
The Secretary of the Army must now issue the final order for the execution date. No specific date has been announced yet by the Pentagon. The process moves forward based on the approval given this Monday.
Hasan’s admission in court and his past contacts are now part of the final record. The government is moving to close this chapter with a method not seen in decades. Justice for the 13 lives lost is finally set to be served.
