Nidal Hasan Execution Date Set: Fort Hood Shooter Scheduled to Face Firing Squad in December
FORT HOOD, Texas — The U.S. Army has set an execution date for Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood.
Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood on Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central Time, according to the Army.
If carried out as scheduled, the execution would be an extraordinary moment in U.S. military history. It would be the first military execution since 1961 and the first U.S. Army firing-squad execution since World War II.
President Approves Death Sentence
The Army said President Donald Trump approved Hasan’s death sentence on October 2, 2026, following completion of the military appellate process.
Under the military justice system, the president has the authority to approve a death sentence imposed by court-martial. Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle subsequently directed that Hasan’s execution take place at Fort Hood.
The Army said its regulations require the execution date to fall between 60 and 150 days after presidential approval of the death sentence.
The 2009 Fort Hood Shooting
Hasan was an Army major and psychiatrist when he opened fire at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009.
He entered the base’s Soldier Readiness Processing Center, where service members were undergoing medical processing before deployment, and began shooting.
Thirteen people were killed and 32 others were wounded, according to the Army and current reporting. The victims included soldiers and a retired serviceman.
The attack became one of the deadliest shootings in U.S. military history and devastated families across the Fort Hood community.
Hasan Convicted and Sentenced to Death
A military court-martial convicted Hasan in August 2013.
The court found him guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. Five days after the guilty verdict, the military jury sentenced him to death. He was also dismissed from the Army and forfeited his pay and allowances.
Hasan represented himself during the court-martial and acknowledged that he was responsible for the shooting.
The prosecution presented testimony from relatives of victims and survivors describing the profound impact the attack had on their families.
Appeals Kept Execution From Happening for Years
Although Hasan received the death sentence in 2013, the execution could not proceed immediately.
Military death sentences are subject to an extensive appellate process. Hasan’s conviction and sentence were reviewed through the military court system before ultimately reaching the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court denied Hasan’s request for review on March 31, 2025, allowing the military’s judgment to stand.
The case then proceeded through the remaining clemency and presidential-approval procedures required before a military execution could take place.
Why a Firing Squad?
The Army has selected a firing squad as the method of execution.
Military executions are extremely rare. The last person executed by the U.S. military was Army Pvt. John A. Bennett, who was hanged at Fort Leavenworth in 1961.
The last known U.S. Army firing-squad execution occurred during World War II. Army Pvt. Eddie Slovik was executed by firing squad in France in January 1945 after being convicted of desertion.
If Hasan’s execution proceeds on December 3, it would therefore represent the first military execution in roughly 65 years and the first Army firing-squad execution in more than eight decades.
Execution Planned at Fort Hood
The decision to conduct the execution at Fort Hood, the same military installation where Hasan carried out the 2009 attack, gives the scheduled event particular significance.
The Army has designated the Commandant of the United States Disciplinary Barracks as the execution officer, according to the Army’s announcement.
Hasan is currently being held on military death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
What Happens Next?
Although the Army has established a date, the execution could still face additional legal proceedings.
Reporting indicates that Hasan may attempt to pursue further challenges through the civilian federal court system, including habeas corpus proceedings. Such litigation could potentially delay the execution.
For now, however, the Army has formally scheduled the execution for December 3.
For families who lost loved ones in the 2009 attack, the announcement represents another major development in a case that has remained unresolved from a punishment standpoint for more than a decade.
Nidal Malik Hasan was convicted in a military court of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. His death sentence was upheld through the military appellate process, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review his case in 2025.
