Ex-Army major who killed 13 at Fort Hood set to be executed by firing squad

Oct. 5, 2026, 10:58 PM EDT

The former U.S. Army major who killed 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009 will be executed by firing squad, officials said Monday.

The Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, said death by firing squad for shooter Nidal Hasan was recommended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and approved by President Donald Trump.

It would mark the first time the U.S. military has executed someone using the method since World War II.

Hasan is a former Army major and psychiatrist who opened fire at Fort Hood on Nov. 5, 2009, killing 13 and wounding 32 while shouting “Allahu Akbar,” Parnell said.

He was convicted of premeditated murder in 2013 and sentenced to death.

Prosecutors alleged he was motivated by unwillingness to be deployed to Afghanistan and by a sense of duty to jihad to kill as many American soldiers as possible, though a Joint Terrorism Task Force determined Hasan “was not involved in terrorist activities or terrorist planning,” and authorities said he acted alone.

Army prosecutor Col. Steve Henricks told the jury that Hasan had created a “personal kill zone” at Fort Food the day of the attack.

Hasan acted as his own lawyer during the trial and was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in 2013.

Acting Secretary of the Army Adam R. Telle will set a time and place for the execution, Parnell said, adding, “Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.”

While Army Private John Bennett was the last service member to be executed by the U.S. military — in 1961 by hanging — Private Eddie Slovik was the last service member to be executed by firing squad back in 1945, for desertion during World War II.