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Trump approves firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter, Pentagon says
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- Donald Trump has approved the execution of Nidal Hasan by US Army firing squad, making Hasan the first US soldier to be executed by the military in over 60 years, according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
- Hasan, an army psychiatrist, was sentenced to death in 2013 for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, where he killed 13 soldiers and wounded 30 at a military medical facility.
- Hasan conducted his own defense during the trial, did not deny the charges, and was reportedly seeking execution, raising concerns among his court-appointed attorneys.
- The shooting was motivated by Hasan's opposition to US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his communications with radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, an al-Qaida propagandist.
- While mass shootings are common in the US, they are rare on military bases, with a few notable incidents occurring between 2013 and 2025 involving soldiers and military personnel.
