Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution for Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan

President Donald Trump has approved the execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan by firing squad, the Pentagon said Monday, setting in motion what would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded 32 others at Fort Hood, Texas, on Nov. 5, 2009, according to Reuters and USA Today. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on X that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the firing-squad method and Trump approved it, and that the secretary of the Army will determine the time and place.

A death sentence from 2013 now reaches the president

A military jury sentenced Hasan to death in 2013 after convicting him over the shooting at a medical facility on the base, Reuters reported. Military death sentences cannot be carried out until approved by the president under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Both outlets noted the rarity of the step. According to the Death Penalty Information Center figures cited in the coverage, the last U.S. military execution was a hanging in 1961, and the last known execution by military firing squad was during World War II. Hasan, now 56, was left partially paralyzed after being shot by police during his arrest, Reuters reported.

The decision follows recent federal changes that added firing squad, electrocution and gas to permitted methods for the most serious federal crimes, in part amid difficulty obtaining lethal-injection drugs, according to Reuters. USA Today noted that the announcement came less than a week after a botched lethal injection in Tennessee left an inmate hospitalized, renewing debate over execution methods.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters and USA Today.