More than 16 years after the Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and wounded 32 others, the case of former U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has entered a new and significant stage. President Donald Trump has approved his execution, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommending that the death sentence be carried out by firing squad.

The decision does not mean Hasan has an execution date yet. Several procedural and legal steps remain, including the possibility of federal court review. The Army must now determine when and where the execution would take place, while the legal process surrounding the military death sentence continues.

Trump approves firing squad execution for Nidal Hasan

Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell announced Monday that Trump had approved the firing-squad method recommended by Hegseth.

Parnell said on X:

“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has recommended — and President Donald J. Trump has approved — death by U.S. Army firing squad for convicted terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan, the jihadist who opened fire on unarmed American soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009,”

He added:

“The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution. Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.”

The Pentagon has not announced an execution date or location.

Under Army policy reported by ABC News, an execution would occur no sooner than 60 days and no later than 150 days after presidential approval, although court action could affect that timetable.

Trump’s approval is an important procedural step because a military death sentence cannot be carried out without presidential approval. However, the approval does not guarantee that Hasan will be executed within that 60-to-150-day window.

The Army’s 2026 legal review makes clear that federal habeas proceedings can continue after presidential action and may delay an execution.

Another High-Profile Trump-Related Criminal Case
The Nidal Hasan case is another major criminal proceeding involving a defendant facing an extraordinary sentence after an attack connected to President Trump. For another Trump-related case that reached sentencing, read our Ryan Wesley Routh life sentence report.

What happens after presidential approval?

The next responsibility falls to the Secretary of the Army, who must establish the time and place of the execution.

Key detail	Verified information
Presidential approval	Donald Trump approved the death sentence and firing-squad method
Recommended by	Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Announcement	Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell
Execution date	Not announced
Execution location	Not announced
Next military authority	Secretary of the Army
Potential court review	Federal habeas corpus proceedings
Reported Army timetable	No sooner than 60 days and no later than 150 days after presidential approval
Current military death row	Four prisoners at Fort Leavenworth

That distinction matters. Hasan’s death sentence has received the required presidential approval, but the execution itself remains subject to further procedural and judicial developments.

Nidal Hasan’s 2009 Fort Hood shooting killed 13

The underlying case dates back to Nov. 5, 2009, when Hasan opened fire at Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center in Texas.

The location was being used by soldiers undergoing medical processing before deployment.

Hasan was then an Army psychiatrist and major. He used a handgun fitted with laser sights during the attack. Witnesses testified that he shouted “Allahu akbar,” meaning “God is great” in Arabic, before shooting.

Thirteen people were killed and 32 were wounded. ABC News reported that 12 of those killed were soldiers and one was a civilian.

Hasan was shot by responding police officers and was left severely wounded and paralyzed.

The shooting occurred while Hasan was preparing for his own deployment to Afghanistan. During his court-martial, he said the evidence would show that he was the shooter and described himself as a soldier who had “switched sides.”

He also argued that his actions were intended to stop U.S. soldiers from going to Afghanistan and killing fellow Muslims.

Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013

The criminal case eventually resulted in the military’s death penalty.

Hasan represented himself during his 2013 court-martial. A military panel unanimously found him guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

He was sentenced to death on Aug. 28, 2013.

According to the Army’s official account of the case, the sentence also included forfeiture of his pay and allowances and dismissal from the service.

The military appeals process continued for years. The Army’s 2026 legal review states that Hasan’s case moved through the required appellate process before reaching the presidential stage. Later reporting has stated that his direct military appeals were exhausted before Trump’s approval.

That does not mean every possible legal avenue has ended. Federal habeas proceedings are legally distinct from the completed military appeals process.

Why Trump’s approval does not mean Hasan will be executed immediately

The presidential decision marks a major point in the military death-penalty process, but it is not the same as announcing an immediate execution.

Hasan could still attempt to delay the execution through a federal habeas corpus petition.

The Army Lawyer’s review of modern military death-penalty procedures specifically cautions that presidential approval does not remove a case entirely from the courts. Federal habeas proceedings can slow an execution and could potentially prevent it from proceeding on the expected timetable.

For that reason, Hasan’s case should not be described as having a fixed execution date.

The Secretary of the Army still has to determine the time and place, and judicial proceedings could affect when or whether the execution proceeds.

Army prepared for possible military executions with Operation Resolute Justice

The latest development follows months of preparation for the possibility of military executions.

In February 2026, the Army developed an internal plan called Operation Resolute Justice. The contingency plan calls for the Army to coordinate with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to transfer condemned military prisoners from the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to the federal execution facility in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The Army described the planning as part of its longstanding preparation for a presidentially approved execution.

In June, an Army spokesperson said exercises connected to the operation had been conducted regularly for years.

Importantly, Operation Resolute Justice did not itself authorize Hasan’s execution. It was a contingency plan established before Trump approved his death sentence.

The Army has also not separately announced that Hasan will be transferred to Terre Haute or released a detailed firing-squad protocol for his case.

Why was a firing squad selected?

The Pentagon has not publicly explained why the firing squad was selected for Hasan.

The timing has nevertheless drawn attention because it came days after Tennessee authorities failed to execute death-row prisoner Christa Pike by lethal injection.

Pike survived after two doses of the execution drug were administered and was taken to a Nashville hospital. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee subsequently suspended the state’s remaining scheduled executions for 2026 and ordered an independent review.

Trump was asked about the failed execution and described it as “an interesting situation.” He also said lethal injections “shouldn’t be very difficult.”

There is no official statement establishing that the Pike execution failure caused the decision to use a firing squad for Hasan. The two developments should therefore be treated as contemporaneous events rather than a confirmed cause-and-effect relationship.

Tennessee is reconsidering execution methods

The Pike case has separately triggered discussion in Tennessee about whether the state should expand its available execution methods.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said:

“If it’s lethal injection, if it is electric chair, what we do know is we have to find a way to do this — and do it successfully.”

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton also said:

“We want to broaden it, include more methods.”

He added:

“What those are as of today, I’m not sure. But I don’t think there’s any method that’s off the table at this point.”

Tennessee already permits electrocution under certain circumstances, while lawmakers are considering whether additional methods should be authorised.

That discussion is separate from the federal and military procedures governing Hasan’s case.

Army rules do not currently require lethal injection

Another important point concerns the military’s execution regulations.

Earlier reports said existing military regulations specified lethal injection. However, the Army’s own May 2026 legal review states that there is currently no designated method of execution under the Army’s guidance.

The review says the Secretary of the Army is responsible for designating the method after the president approves the death sentence.

In Hasan’s case, Hegseth specifically recommended death by firing squad, and Trump approved that recommendation.

Therefore, Hasan’s case should not be characterised as the Army simply abandoning an existing mandatory lethal-injection procedure in favour of a firing squad. Under the current military framework, there is no single exclusive execution method designated by Army guidance.

Firing squads remain rare in the United States

Firing squads remain an uncommon execution method in the United States.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, five states currently authorise firing squads: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah.

Idaho made the firing squad its primary execution method beginning in July 2026. South Carolina carried out three firing-squad executions in 2025.

The federal government also expanded the range of execution methods available for federal capital cases during the Trump administration. However, that federal policy does not automatically govern military executions, which operate under the separate military justice system.

Hasan could become the first military execution since 1961

If Hasan’s execution takes place, it would mark the return of U.S. military executions after more than six decades.

The last person executed by the U.S. military was Pvt. John A. Bennett, who was hanged at Fort Leavenworth on April 13, 1961.

Bennett had been convicted of rape and attempted murder involving an 11-year-old girl. The Army confirms that he was the last service member executed by the military.

The firing-squad history requires a more precise distinction.

The last known U.S. military firing-squad execution was carried out by musketry in November 1945, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

If Hasan is executed by firing squad, it would therefore be the first U.S. military firing-squad execution in more than 80 years.

Four prisoners remain on military death row

Hasan is currently one of four prisoners on the U.S. military’s death row at Fort Leavenworth.

The other three are:

• Army Spc. Ronald Gray
• Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar
• Former Army Master Sgt. Timothy Hennis

The Army’s 2026 legal review confirms that four prisoners remain on military death row.

Gray’s case offers an important example of how presidential approval does not necessarily lead directly to an execution. President George W. Bush approved Gray’s execution in 2008, but a federal judge subsequently put the execution on hold. Gray remains at Fort Leavenworth.

What happens next in Nidal Hasan’s case?

The immediate next step is for the Secretary of the Army to determine the time and place of Hasan’s execution.

Army policy provides a 60-to-150-day window following presidential approval, but that schedule can be disrupted by court proceedings.

Operation Resolute Justice provides a framework for moving condemned military prisoners from Fort Leavenworth to Terre Haute if an execution is ordered. However, the Army has not separately announced that Hasan will be transferred there, nor has it released a detailed firing-squad protocol for his case.

For now, the central development is clear: President Trump has approved Hasan’s death sentence and the firing-squad method recommended by Hegseth.

The execution itself remains subject to the remaining procedural and judicial steps, meaning the case is not yet at its final stage.

Another Case Where the Death Penalty Is at Issue
Hasan’s military death sentence also puts the focus on how capital punishment cases move through the courts and toward a potential execution. For another recent case where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, see our Tyler Robinson court proceedings report.

Conclusion

Trump’s approval moves Nidal Malik Hasan’s military death-penalty case into its next phase, more than 16 years after the Fort Hood shooting killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. Hegseth recommended a firing squad, and Trump approved that method, but no execution date or location has been announced.

The Secretary of the Army must now determine the time and place, while Hasan may still pursue federal habeas corpus review. If the execution ultimately takes place, it would be the first U.S. military execution since John A. Bennett was hanged in 1961 and the first U.S. military firing-squad execution in more than 80 years.

Source and research disclaimer: This article has been prepared based on thorough research of the sources provided with the verified source material, including reporting and information from the Associated Press, Reuters, U.S. Army, Army Lawyer, ABC News, CBS News, The Washington Post and the Death Penalty Information Center. It reflects the information available as of Oct. 6, 2026, based on those sources, and does not imply independent verification beyond what the provided material supports. The execution date, location and subsequent legal proceedings may change as the case develops.

Sources

• Associated Press
• Reuters
• U.S. Army: Fort Hood Shooter Hasan Sentenced to Death
• Army Lawyer: From Soldier to “Condemned Prisoner”
• ABC News: Pentagon to Execute Nidal Hasan by Firing Squad
• ABC News: Operation Resolute Justice
• CBS News
• Washington Post
• Death Penalty Information Center: Methods of Execution
• Death Penalty Information Center: Christa Pike Execution

Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)