US President Donald Trump has approved the execution of former US Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding more than two dozen others in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting in Texas. Hasan is set to face execution by a US Army firing squad, following a recommendation by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. If carried out, it would be the first US military execution since 1961.
The former Army psychiatrist was sentenced to death by a military jury in 2013 after being convicted for the attack. Hasan represented himself during the trial, called no witnesses, gave no testimony and did not attempt to deny the charges. The November 2009 attack occurred at a medical facility inside Fort Hood, a major US Army installation that was then used as a staging point for troops deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hasan was shot and partially paralysed by a civilian police officer who responded to the shooting. The Pentagon announced the approval on Monday, paving the way for Hasan’s execution for the attack, which also left more than two dozen people wounded. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had recommended that Hasan be executed by a US Army firing squad and that Trump had approved the recommendation.
The attack took place at a medical facility on the sprawling base, which at the time served as a staging point for American troops preparing to deploy to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hasan opened fire inside the facility, killing 13 people and injuring more than 30 others. Twelve of those killed and 30 of the wounded were soldiers.
During his military trial, the court heard evidence about his opposition to US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prosecutors also presented evidence that Hasan had communicated online with Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born radical cleric who was associated with Al-Qaeda and later became a prominent figure in the group’s Yemen-based affiliate. Al-Awlaki was killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011.
The authorities described Hasan’s attack as inspired by Al-Qaeda’s ideology. Hasan, a US-born Muslim of Palestinian descent, did not attempt to deny the charges against him during his court-martial. He elected to represent himself but called no witnesses and gave no testimony. His court-appointed defence lawyers had expressed concern that he appeared to be seeking execution.
A military jury found Hasan guilty and sentenced him to death in 2013, following one of the deadliest attacks on US military personnel on American soil. The Fort Hood shooting occurred during the height of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when thousands of American troops were passing through the Texas base before being deployed overseas. Hasan’s position as an Army psychiatrist placed him in contact with soldiers preparing for or returning from combat.
Key points
- US President Donald Trump approves execution of Nidal Malik Hasan.
- Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people in 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting.
- Execution would be first US military execution since 1961.
