US President Donald Trump has authorized the execution of Nidal Malik Hassan by firing squad for the 2009 attack on the Fort Hood military base in Texas, which killed 13 people .
The decision was announced on Monday, October 5 , by the Pentagon and paves the way for the execution of the former major and military psychiatrist, who was sentenced to death by a military court in 2013 .
The execution by firing squad was recommended by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth , a proposal that Trump approved, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. The Secretary of the Army will determine the date and place, but this does not mean that the sentence will be carried out immediately, as legal procedures remain available that could delay it.
The attack took place on November 5, 2009 , at a medical facility on the base where soldiers were being screened before being deployed to areas of operations. Hassan, an American Muslim of Palestinian descent, opened fire, killing 12 active-duty soldiers and one retiree , and wounding 32 others. According to the Pentagon, he shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he fired.
He, who served as a military psychiatrist, had expressed his opposition to the American operations in Afghanistan and Iraq . During the trial, he claimed that the aim of the attack was to prevent American soldiers from going to Afghanistan to fight Muslims, describing himself as a soldier who “changed sides” . He even chose to defend himself alone and did not deny that he was the perpetrator.
The military court sentenced him to death in August 2013 , finding him guilty of 13 premeditated murders and 32 attempted murders . He was wounded by police fire during the attack and has remained partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair since then. The case also attracted attention due to his contacts with Anwar al-Awlaki , an American Islamist cleric linked to al-Qaeda , who was later killed in a US operation in Yemen.
Presidential approval is an important step, but it does not set a date. Hassan can appeal to federal courts for a stay or review, which could delay the execution for years. It is worth noting that executions are extremely rare in the US military system, and the president must personally approve any death sentence imposed by a military court.
The historical weight of the decision is, in this respect, significant. The last execution by the US military took place in 1961 , when Private John Bennett was hanged for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl in Austria. The last execution by firing squad dates back even further, to 1945 .
In other words, if the penalty is implemented, the US military will return to a practice it abandoned eight decades ago.
