Army Schedules Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan's Execution By Firing Squad

The U.S. Army has scheduled convicted Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Malik Hasan to die by firing squad on December 3 at the Texas military installation where he killed 13 people in 2009.

President Donald Trump approved Hasan’s execution after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended that his death sentence be carried out by an Army firing squad. This execution would mark the first carried out by the U.S. military since 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Hasan, an Army major and psychiatrist, opened fire inside Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people and attempting to kill another 32.

Witnesses testified that he shouted "Allahu akbar" before opening fire with a laser-sighted handgun. Hasan later told the court that he had switched sides and was acting in defense of Muslims, seeking to prevent American troops from deploying to Afghanistan. A military panel unanimously convicted Hasan of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder on August 28, 2013, sentencing him to death, dismissal from the Army, and forfeiture of his pay and allowances.

Hasan exhausted the direct military appellate process, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces affirming his case in March 2024. The Supreme Court denied Hasan’s petition for review on March 31, 2025. Secretary Hegseth had previously stated in September 2025 his commitment to ensuring Hasan's death sentence was carried out, saying "The victims and survivors deserve justice without delays."

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called it an appropriate punishment for a terrorist! Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas also approved the decision, stating Hasan deserves to be executed for his crimes.