Trump approves firing squad for Fort Hood shooter, first since WWII
In short
US President Donald Trump has approved a firing-squad execution for Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and wounded 32. The Pentagon said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the method and that the Army Secretary will set the date and place. CNN reported it would be the first firing-squad execution of a US soldier since the Second World War.
Read the full story 2 min read
US President Donald Trump has approved a firing-squad execution for Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted over the 2009 mass shooting at the Fort Hood army base in Texas, according to the Pentagon. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a post on X on 5 October local time that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had recommended an Army firing-squad execution for Hasan, described in the statement as a jihadist who shot unarmed US soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, and that Trump approved it. Parnell said the Army Secretary would decide the date and place, and said “Hasan's day of judgment has finally come.” [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]
The documents describe Hasan as a military psychiatrist who held the rank of major at the time. On 5 November 2009 he shouted “Allahu Akbar” and opened fire at Fort Hood, killing 13 soldiers and civilians and wounding 32, according to the reports. Investigations found the Muslim officer, who was about to deploy to Afghanistan, was suffering mental stress and carried out a lone-wolf attack; the incident is recorded as one of the worst mass shootings in the United States. Dong-A Ilbo reported that a military court sentenced him to death in 2013. [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
CNN reported the execution would be the first time the US military puts one of its own soldiers to death by firing squad since the Second World War. Chosun Ilbo said the military has carried out no execution in about 65 years, the last being on 13 April 1961, when Army private John Bennett was hanged for rape and attempted murder. The military's last firing-squad execution is said to have taken place on 9 November 1945. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Firing-squad executions are rare in the United States, according to the Washington Post. Only Idaho, Oklahoma, Utah, South Carolina and Mississippi allow the method, the reports said. The anti-death-penalty non-profit Death Penalty Information Center says South Carolina executed three people by firing squad last year, and that before that only three such executions had been carried out since 1977, all in Utah. [ 2 , 6 ]
Trump has long supported the death penalty, the documents say. In his first term he revived federal executions after a 17-year pause and 13 inmates were put to death before his term ended; the Biden administration ordered a federal moratorium that Trump lifted shortly after his second term began. The Justice Department said in April it was adding the firing squad, the electric chair and gas as alternative execution methods, citing difficulty in obtaining lethal-injection drugs, and ordered the use of pentobarbital, which critics say causes extreme pain. [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]
Korean outlets differed on the timing of the announcement: Yonhap, Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo said Parnell's post came on 5 October local time, while Chosun Ilbo said he made the statement on X on the 6th. The documents give no date or location for the execution itself, saying only that the Army Secretary will decide. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The decision would end a decades-long gap in US military executions and mark the first military firing squad since the Second World War. It also signals a widening use of alternative execution methods at the federal level, after the Justice Department added the firing squad, electric chair and gas in April. The case concerns US law and military policy rather than Korea, but carries broad international interest.
Key facts
- Trump approved a firing-squad execution for Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the firing squad and that the Army Secretary will decide the date and place. [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]
- The 5 November 2009 attack at Fort Hood, Texas killed 13 soldiers and civilians and wounded 32. [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- CNN reported it would be the first firing-squad execution of a US soldier since the Second World War. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- The US military's last execution was on 13 April 1961, when Army private John Bennett was hanged for rape and attempted murder. [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 ]
- The last US military firing-squad execution is said to have taken place on 9 November 1945. [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]
- Firing-squad executions are allowed in Idaho, Oklahoma, Utah, South Carolina and Mississippi, according to the Washington Post. [ 2 , 6 ]
- The Justice Department said in April it was adding the firing squad, electric chair and gas as alternative execution methods, citing difficulty obtaining lethal-injection drugs. [ 2 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Trump approved a firing-squad execution for Nidal Malik Hasan over the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth recommended the method and that the Army Secretary would set the execution date and place. [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]
- The 2009 Fort Hood attack killed 13 people and wounded 32. [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- CNN reported the execution would be the first firing squad for a US soldier since the Second World War. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- Firing-squad executions are rare in the United States and permitted in only a few states. [ 2 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- The date of Parnell's post announcing the approval Yonhap, Maeil Business and Hankook Ilbo say the post was made on 5 October local time, while Chosun Ilbo says he made the statement on X on the 6th.
- When and where Hasan's execution will take place The documents say only that the Army Secretary will decide the date and place, and do not give a schedule.
- When Hasan was sentenced to death Only Dong-A Ilbo gives a date, saying a military court sentenced him in 2013; the other documents do not state a sentencing date.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The last US military firing-squad execution is said to have been carried out by a rifle unit. [ 2 , 6 , 7 ]
- The US military's last execution: Army private John Bennett is hanged for rape and attempted murder. [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 ]
- Hasan opens fire at the Fort Hood army base in Texas, killing 13 and wounding 32. [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- A military court sentences Hasan to death, according to Dong-A Ilbo. [ 5 ]
- The Justice Department adds the firing squad, electric chair and gas as alternative execution methods. [ 2 , 6 ]
- Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell says on X that Hegseth recommended and Trump approved the firing-squad execution; Chosun Ilbo dates the post to 6 October. [ 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 ]
- Yonhap publishes its Washington-datelined report citing Parnell, CNN, the Washington Post and the Death Penalty Information Center. [ 2 ]