Trump orders firing squad for gunman who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas

US President Donald Trump has ordered the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan by firing squad for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people. The execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, pending approval of the death sentence imposed by a military jury in 2013. This would be the first military execution since 1961.

US President Donald Trump has ordered the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan by firing squad for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people. The Pentagon announced the decision on Monday, October 5, 2026, following a recommendation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated on X/Twitter that Hasan shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the attack, which killed 12 unarmed active-duty soldiers and a retired serviceman, and wounded 32 others. Acting US Army Secretary Adam Telle confirmed on Tuesday that the execution will take place on December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas. Death by firing squad is one of several execution methods recently added by the Trump administration for federal crimes, alongside electrocution and gas asphyxiation. The expansion was partly due to difficulties obtaining drugs for lethal injections, as highlighted by a recent botched execution attempt in Tennessee. A military jury sentenced Hasan to death in August 2013 after finding him guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder. Hasan, now 56, was left partially paralyzed after being shot during his arrest. Military executions are rare; if carried out, this would be the first since 1961. The article notes that at least five US states have firing squads, with South Carolina carrying out the first such execution in 15 years in 2025.