Nidal Hasan Execution Explained: Why the Former Army Major Faces a Firing Squad
Former U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood on December 3, 2026, nearly 17 years after the 2009 shooting that killed 13 people. Here is what happened, how the military appeals process unfolded and why the execution could still be delayed.
Editorial illustration representing the Nidal Hasan Fort Hood case and the scheduled military firing-squad execution
Table of Contents (15 sections)
The United States military is preparing for something it has not done in more than six decades: carry out an execution.
Former U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people in the November 5, 2009, shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad at the same military installation on December 3, 2026.
The Army says the execution is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central Time. President Donald Trump approved Hasan’s death sentence on October 2 after the military appellate process upheld his conviction and sentence. Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle subsequently directed that the execution take place by firing squad.
If the execution goes ahead as scheduled, Hasan would become the first person executed by the U.S. military since Army Pvt. John A. Bennett was hanged in 1961. It would also represent the military’s first use of a firing squad for an execution since World War II.
But December 3 is not necessarily the final word.
Although Hasan has completed the direct military appellate process, death-penalty specialists say he can still seek habeas corpus review in the civilian federal court system. Such litigation could produce a stay and postpone the execution, potentially for a significant period.
Recommended Reading
Related Stories & In-Depth Guides
Curated editorial perspectives matching this topic.
Donald Trump says the United States will not resume military strikes on Iran before the November 3 midterm elections, but the blockade, sanctions and Hormuz dispute remain unresolved. Here is what the pause means for oil markets, diplomacy and India.
The GFS Pride and Cape Dao have sunk near the Strait of Hormuz as attacks on commercial shipping intensify. The two sinkings happened close together, but Cape Dao had been struck weeks earlier. Here is what is confirmed, what remains unclear and why the escalation matters for global trade and India.
That distinction is central to understanding what has happened: an execution has been formally approved and scheduled, but further legal proceedings remain possible.
Key Takeaways
Nidal Hasan is scheduled for execution by firing squad at Fort Hood on December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central Time.
President Donald Trump approved the death sentence on October 2, 2026.
Hasan was convicted in 2013 of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.
This would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first military firing-squad execution since World War II.
Hasan may still seek federal habeas corpus review, which could delay the execution.
What Happened at Fort Hood in 2009?
On November 5, 2009, Hasan was an Army major and psychiatrist stationed at Fort Hood, one of the largest U.S. military installations.
He opened fire inside the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, a facility where military personnel were processed before and after deployments.
Thirteen people were killed — 12 soldiers and one civilian — and dozens more were wounded. The military ultimately prosecuted Hasan on 13 specifications of premeditated murder and 32 specifications of attempted premeditated murder.
Hasan himself was shot during the response and was left paralyzed.
The attack became one of the most consequential criminal cases in modern U.S. military justice, not only because of the number of victims but also because a death sentence imposed by a court-martial automatically involves a lengthy and unusually complex review process.
The 13 People Killed Remain at the Centre of the Case
The renewed attention surrounding Hasan's execution has inevitably shifted discussion toward execution methods, appeals and capital punishment.
But the case began with the deaths of 13 people and the injuries suffered by many others.
Official Army records identified the fatal toll as 12 military personnel and one civilian employee. The court-martial later found Hasan guilty of 13 specifications of premeditated murder and 32 specifications of attempted premeditated murder.
For surviving relatives and people wounded in the attack, the case has now stretched across nearly 17 years.
That long interval is partly a product of the extensive review required in military death-penalty cases.
What Happened at Hasan's Court-Martial?
Hasan was tried before a military court-martial in 2013.
On August 23 of that year, the court-martial panel found him guilty of the murder and attempted-murder charges arising from the Fort Hood shooting.
Five days later, on August 28, the panel sentenced him to death.
The sentence also included dismissal from the military and forfeiture of pay and allowances.
A military death sentence does not operate like an ordinary criminal judgment that can be carried out shortly after trial.
Capital cases in the military system move through mandatory appellate review, and a death sentence ultimately requires presidential approval before an execution can proceed.
That helps explain why more than 13 years have passed since Hasan was sentenced.
How Did Hasan's Appeals Reach the Supreme Court?
Hasan's conviction and sentence moved through the military appellate system after his court-martial.
Eventually, he petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case.
The Supreme Court docket shows that Hasan's petition was considered at the justices' March 28, 2025, conference. On March 31, 2025, the court denied the petition.
The Army now describes the military appellate process as complete.
That completion allowed the case to move toward presidential action, which is required before a military death sentence can be carried out.
What Exactly Did Trump Approve?
On October 2, 2026, President Donald Trump approved Hasan's death sentence, according to the Army.
The Army says the president has sole authority to approve a death sentence for a military prisoner after the required review process has been completed.
The case then moved to the next procedural stage.
On October 6, Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle directed that Hasan be executed by firing squad.
The Army announced that the execution would take place at Fort Hood on Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central Time.
Army Regulation 190-55 governs military execution procedures. According to the Army, the regulation requires the execution date to fall within a specified period after presidential approval.
The distinction between the dates therefore matters:
October 2, 2026 — Trump approved the death sentence.
October 6, 2026 — the Army directed the firing-squad execution.
December 3, 2026 — the currently scheduled execution date.
Why Is a Firing Squad Being Used?
The decision to use a firing squad is exceptionally unusual in the modern U.S. military system.
The last execution carried out by the U.S. military occurred on April 13, 1961, when Pvt. John A. Bennett was executed by hanging at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
A firing squad has not been used for a U.S. military execution since World War II, according to death-penalty researchers and current reporting.
Firing squads also remain uncommon in the broader American death-penalty system, although several states permit the method under certain circumstances.
The Pentagon's decision therefore places Hasan's case in an unusual position historically: it could become both the first U.S. military execution in 65 years and the military's first firing-squad execution in roughly eight decades.
The administration has not publicly established that the recent difficulties with lethal injection were the reason firing squad was selected.
That distinction is important because Hasan's execution decision came shortly after an attempted lethal-injection execution of Tennessee prisoner Christa Pike encountered serious complications.
The timing has generated discussion about execution methods. Some death-penalty experts have suggested that the broader problems surrounding lethal injection may be relevant to the renewed consideration of alternative methods, but there has been no official finding establishing that the Tennessee incident caused the decision in Hasan's case.
Why Hasn't the Military Executed Anyone Since 1961?
The military maintains a separate justice system under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and capital punishment remains available for certain offences.
But military executions have become extraordinarily rare.
The last one took place in 1961.
Several prisoners have received military death sentences in the decades since, but lengthy appellate proceedings, judicial challenges and other procedural requirements have prevented those sentences from being carried out.
One frequently cited example is Ronald Gray, whose death sentence received presidential approval in 2008 but whose litigation continued afterward.
Hasan is currently among a small number of prisoners under military death sentences.
The gap since 1961 therefore does not mean the military abolished capital punishment. Rather, it shows how infrequently an American military death sentence reaches the point where an execution is actually scheduled.
Can Hasan Still Stop or Delay the December 3 Execution?
Potentially.
The completion of military appeals and presidential approval are major procedural milestones, but they do not necessarily eliminate every judicial avenue.
Death Penalty Information Center Executive Director Robin Maher has said Hasan remains constitutionally entitled to seek review of his sentence through the civilian federal court system.
That could take the form of a habeas corpus petition.
A federal habeas petition generally asks a civilian court to examine whether a prisoner's detention or sentence complies with constitutional and federal legal requirements.
If Hasan files such a challenge, he could also seek a stay preventing the execution from taking place while the court considers the case.
For that reason, the December 3 date should be described as a scheduled execution date rather than an inevitable one.
As of the latest verified reporting reviewed for this article, no development had established that the remaining federal review process was complete or that the December execution could no longer be delayed.
A New Controversy Over Plans to Livestream the Execution
The case gained another dimension after the Pentagon said the execution was planned to be livestreamed.
Current reporting says the administration intends to make a live video feed available, an extraordinary step for an American execution and one that has generated criticism from human-rights organisations, religious leaders and some U.S. lawmakers.
The United Nations has publicly criticised the proposed broadcast, while the administration has continued to defend the broader execution decision.
This controversy is separate from the legal question of whether Hasan's death sentence can be carried out.
The two issues should therefore not be confused: the first concerns the legality and remaining review of the execution itself; the second concerns how, and to what extent, an execution would be made viewable to the public.
Because the practical arrangements could change before December 3, claims about exactly how the execution will be distributed should be treated as developing rather than final.
What Role Does the President Have in a Military Execution?
Military capital cases differ from ordinary state death-penalty cases in several significant ways.
One of the most important is the president's role.
The Army says a military prisoner's death sentence cannot proceed to execution without presidential approval.
After the legal judgment becomes final within the military appellate system, records of the trial, clemency material and recommendations move through senior Army and Defense Department officials before reaching the president.
Trump's October 2 approval therefore represented a necessary step toward carrying out Hasan's sentence rather than simply a public expression of support for it.
Once presidential approval was issued, Army officials could set the execution date in accordance with military regulations.
Why Hasan's Supreme Court Rejection Did Not Immediately Produce an Execution
The Supreme Court declined to take Hasan's case in March 2025.
That did not mean an execution automatically followed.
The denial ended that particular attempt to obtain Supreme Court review of the court-martial conviction, but the military process still required executive action.
Only after the case moved through those remaining steps did the president approve the death sentence in October 2026 and the Army set an execution date.
And even now, federal habeas review remains a possible next stage.
This is why headlines saying Hasan has “exhausted all appeals” can be misleading unless they clearly distinguish between direct military appellate review and potential collateral litigation in civilian federal courts.
What Happens Next?
The most important date is December 3, 2026.
Under the Army's current order, Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood at 1 p.m. Central Time.
Before then, attention will focus on whether his lawyers seek federal habeas corpus review or a stay of execution.
Any such filing could change the timetable.
There may also be further developments concerning the Pentagon's proposed livestream and the rules governing public access to it.
For now, three facts are established.
Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013 for the killings at Fort Hood.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review his petition in March 2025.
Trump approved the military death sentence on October 2, 2026, after which the Army scheduled a firing-squad execution for December 3.
Whether that date ultimately becomes the first U.S. military execution since 1961 will depend in part on what happens in the federal courts between now and then.
The case therefore remains both historically significant and legally unfinished.
Bottom Line
Nidal Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood on December 3, 2026, after President Trump approved his death sentence. He was convicted in 2013 for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people. This would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961, but federal habeas corpus review could still delay the process.
Key Takeaway
Nidal Hasan faces firing-squad execution on December 3, 2026.
President Trump approved the military death sentence on October 2.
Military appellate process is complete; federal habeas review remains possible.
Would be first U.S. military execution since 1961.
The Rajatheertha Team publishes news, explainers, guides and updates across India and the world. Our coverage follows Rajatheertha's editorial, verification and corrections standards.
US military planners have reportedly prepared options for renewed major operations against Iran, but no new large-scale campaign has been officially announced. Here is what is confirmed, what remains reported and why India is watching oil, the rupee and fuel costs.
US and Iranian representatives held roughly three hours of mediated talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly after Donald Trump threatened Iran with further destruction if no deal is reached. Here is what was discussed and what remains unresolved.
US and Iranian representatives held roughly three hours of mediated talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly after Donald Trump threatened Iran with further destruction if no deal is reached. Here is what was discussed and what remains unresolved.
US and Iranian representatives held roughly three hours of mediated talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly after Donald Trump threatened Iran with further destruction if no deal is reached. Here is what was discussed and what remains unresolved.
Russia’s Oct. 7 missile and drone barrage killed at least 32 people across Ukraine. Here is how the attack unfolded and why scarce Patriot interceptors remain critical.
The House approved the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by 262-159 after the Senate passed it 86-11. The measure now awaits President Donald Trump’s signature and could subject major buyers of Russian oil or gas to additional US tariffs of up to 100%, although India and Chin
0 Comments