Former Army Major Nidal Hasan will face a military firing squad on December 3, 2026, at Fort Hood, the same location where he murdered 13 people in 2009. President Trump approved Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recommendation to proceed with the execution, marking the first military execution in 65 years and the first firing squad execution since World War II.
Death Row Ends After 17 Years
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the execution plan late Monday in an email to victims’ families, stating that judgment day for Hasan has finally arrived. The 56-year-old former Army psychiatrist has been held at Fort Leavenworth military prison in Kansas since his conviction. Families of the deceased and survivors received notification before the public announcement and were offered the opportunity to attend the execution.
The November 5, 2009 attack targeted unarmed soldiers at a readiness center as they prepared for deployment. Witnesses reported hearing Hasan shout before he opened fire 146 times, killing 13 people including a pregnant soldier and injuring 32 others. Police returned fire during the rampage, leaving Hasan paralyzed from the chest down. He had served 20 years in the Army as a psychiatrist before carrying out the attack.
Rare Military Execution Process
Military executions require presidential approval under Army regulation 190-55. A 2019 revision removed specific mention of lethal injection, allowing the Army secretary to designate the execution method based on recommendations from the provost marshal general. The last military execution occurred in 1961 when the Army hanged Private John Bennett for rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl. The last firing squad execution happened in France during World War II when Private Eddie Slovik was executed for desertion.
Final Chapter For Victims
The announcement represents what many hope will be the final chapter in a 17-year tragedy that has bonded victims’ families and survivors together. Among those killed were Captain Russell Seager, 51, Staff Sergeant Justin DeCrow, 32, Private First Class Kham Xiong, 23, and Private Francheska Velez, 21, who was pregnant. The execution will take place at the same military installation where Hasan committed the deadliest attack on a domestic military base in American history.
why so long