# Trump approves military execution of Nidal Hasan by firing squad

Date: 2026

On 5 October 2026, the Pentagon said [President Donald Trump](/people/mig-donald-trump) approved the execution of Nidal Hasan by firing squad after Defense Secretary [Pete Hegseth](/people/pete-hegseth) recommended that the death sentence be carried out. Hasan was convicted by court-martial of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting and was sentenced to death in August 2013. Under military law, a death sentence cannot be carried out until the president approves it.

The approval did not itself set an execution date. The Army secretary was responsible for fixing the time and place, and Hasan could still pursue available legal challenges. If carried out, the sentence would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961. Trump did not impose Hasan's original court-martial sentence; his documented act was approving the execution after Hegseth recommended it. The Army secretary must set the time and place, and further legal challenges may still be filed.

## Drivers

- Executive-Power Concentration: https://factrail.ai/drivers/executive-power-concentration

## Sources

- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/05/trump-fort-hood-shooter-execution
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nidal-hasan-firing-squad-trump/

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/us-trump-approves-firing-squad-execution-nidal-hasan-2026-10-05