Fort Hood shooter to be executed by firing squad - a first for US military since World War Two

Reports circulating regarding the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad are inaccurate. According to official U.S. military records, Hasan, who was convicted for the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood that resulted in the deaths of 13 people and injuries to 32 others, remains incarcerated at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. There has been no change in his legal status that would authorize an execution by firing squad.

The U.S. military justice system has not carried out an execution since 1961. Although Hasan was sentenced to death by a military jury in 2013, the process for military capital punishment is subject to a lengthy and complex series of mandatory appeals. These legal requirements ensure that any death sentence undergoes rigorous review by military appellate courts and, ultimately, requires presidential approval before it can be carried out.

Nidal Malik Hasan’s case remains one of the most significant legal proceedings in modern American military history. Despite the severity of his crimes and the finality of his 2013 sentencing, the military has maintained its long-standing moratorium on executions. Claims suggesting an imminent execution or a shift to firing squad methods are not supported by the Department of Defense or current judicial filings.