Former US Army Major Nidal Hasan is set to be executed by firing squad in December, in what would be the first such execution carried out by the US military since the end of World War II.
Hasan was sentenced to death for killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. The attack took place inside a medical centre where soldiers were undergoing routine health checks before deployment overseas.
The shooting remains the deadliest non-combat attack on a US military installation.
During his 2013 court-martial, Hasan admitted to the killings and said he carried out the attack to defend Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended Hasan’s execution, which was later approved by President Donald Trump.
Military officials said the execution is scheduled for December 3 at the Texas military base. Hasan is among four inmates currently held on military death row.
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, military death sentences require approval by the sitting US president after the completion of the required legal appeals.
Firing squads are rarely used for executions in the United States. South Carolina carried out a firing squad execution last year, the first in the country in 15 years.
Utah, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Idaho also allow executions by firing squad under certain circumstances.
Hasan’s scheduled execution comes amid President Trump’s broader support for capital punishment. After returning to office in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to pursue capital punishment in eligible cases, reversing a moratorium imposed under former President Joe Biden.
The Trump administration has described the death penalty as a tool for deterring severe violent crimes