President Trump has approved a U.S. Army firing squad for Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood jihadist who killed 13 in 2009, with the execution now set for Dec. 3 after years of delay.
The Pentagon announced that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended, and President Donald J. Trump approved, death by U.S. Army firing squad for the convicted terrorist. Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle confirmed the date in a memorandum, setting the execution at Fort Hood, Texas.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated the decision on X, calling Hasan the jihadist who opened fire on unarmed American soldiers. Associated Press reporting detailed the approval and the long path from the 2009 massacre to this point.
Hasan, a former Army major and psychiatrist, walked into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood and opened fire with a laser-sighted handgun. He killed 13 people and wounded more than 30. Witnesses testified he shouted "Allahu akbar" as he attacked.
In 2013, a court-martial convicted him of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. Jurors sentenced him to death. He represented himself, mounted little defense, and told them the evidence would show he was the shooter. He described himself as a soldier who had "switched sides."
Per the reporting, Hasan said he carried out the attack to stop soldiers from deploying to Afghanistan and killing his fellow Muslims. He exhausted his regular appeals in 2025. Four men, including Hasan, sit on the military's death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Fox News reported the execution is set for 1 p.m. CT on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood. It marks the first successful presidential sign-off on a U.S. military execution since 1961.
Sean Parnell wrote that Hegseth recommended the method and Trump approved it.
"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."
Parnell added a blunt line.
"Judgement day for Hasan has finally come."
The U.S. military has not carried out an execution since Pvt. John Bennett was hanged in 1961 for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl. It has not used a firing squad on a service member since World War II. Current military regulations specify lethal injection. The Pentagon did not explain the choice of firing squad or say whether rules would need to change.
Trump's approval starts procedural steps. The Army adopted a plan called Operation Resolute Justice in February for military executions. It calls for transferring condemned service members from Fort Leavenworth to the federal facility in Terre Haute, Indiana, and coordinating with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The plan aims for readiness no sooner than 60 days and within 150 days of presidential approval.
Hasan could still try to delay the process by challenging his detention in civilian federal court. An Army Lawyer article in May noted that possibility. President George W. Bush approved the execution of Army Spc. Ronald Gray in 2008, but a judge put it on hold. Gray remains at Fort Leavenworth.
The announcement came days after a failed lethal injection attempt on Christa Pike in Tennessee. The governor halted further executions there this year and ordered a third-party review. That botched effort echoes other capital cases where states have faced similar setbacks, including when Tennessee halted executions after Christa Pike survived two lethal injection doses.
Trump, speaking to reporters in Denton, Texas, called the Tennessee failure "an interesting situation" and said carrying out lethal injections "shouldn't be very difficult." Sen. Marsha Blackburn told the AP that officials must find a way to complete executions successfully, whether by lethal injection or electric chair. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said lawmakers want to broaden available methods and that no option is off the table.
Five states allow firing squads: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah. Idaho made it the primary method effective July 1. South Carolina carried out three firing squad executions in 2025, the first uses of the method in the U.S. since 2010. In April the Justice Department directed the Bureau of Prisons to expand federal civilian protocols beyond lethal injection, including firing squads. That change does not apply to military cases.
The New York Post noted Hasan killed 12 U.S. service members and one civilian in the 2009 attack. He would become the first service member executed by the armed forces since 1961. High-profile state cases continue in parallel, such as when Florida carried out a rare double execution of its oldest death-row inmate and an ex-cop who killed a child.
Other legal fights over execution dates have played out recently. One example came when Christa Pike's September 30 date held after a judge rejected an Eighth Amendment challenge.
Breitbart reported that the Secretary of the Army will set final details and that Hasan is one of four men on military death row. The victims and their families have waited nearly 17 years. Hasan targeted unarmed soldiers preparing for deployment. He chose sides against the United States and acted on it.
Security lapses that leave people exposed have drawn scrutiny in other fatal attacks. Reviews have examined how institutions failed basic planning, as when Utah Valley University skipped basic security planning before a sniper killing.
Trump's decision restores a clear line: those who murder American troops in a terrorist attack face the full weight of military justice. The process now moves forward at Fort Hood, the same post where Hasan carried out his assault.
Justice delayed is still justice owed. The firing squad ends the wait for the soldiers and civilians Hasan gunned down.