Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution for Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan

• by Shimanta Das
• October 7, 2026

President Donald Trump has approved the use of a firing squad to execute Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. The decision marks a significant development in one of the most notorious mass shootings on a U.S. military base. Hasan, an American citizen of Jordanian descent, opened fire at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Texas, where troops were preparing for deployment. He was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to death, and has since been incarcerated on military death row at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

The execution by firing squad would be the Army’s first for a soldier since World War II. However, the timeline remains unclear, as the Army secretary has yet to set a date. The case has been mired in legal and procedural delays. The last federal execution by firing squad was that of Ronald Gray in 2008, but it was put on hold by a judge, and Gray remains at Leavenworth. The approval by President Trump signals a potential shift toward expediting military death sentences, though further legal challenges are expected.

While the United States has largely moved away from firing squads, the method remains legally authorized in several other nations as a primary or secondary form of capital punishment. These include Indonesia, North Korea, Taiwan, Cuba, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Yemen, Somalia, and Saudi Arabia. The use of a firing squad in Hasan’s case would draw international attention and reignite debates over capital punishment and military justice. Hasan’s 2009 attack remains one of the deadliest shootings on a U.S. military installation, and his execution would bring a long-awaited closure to the victims’ families and the Fort Hood community.