❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Pentagon is preparing to request authorization from President Donald J. Trump to execute Nidal Hasan, the jihadist former Army major convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, and Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The attack occurred in 2009 at Fort Hood, Texas, and Hasan has been held on death row at Fort Leavenworth since his 2013 conviction. Hasan’s final appeal of his sentence was rejected in April 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I am 100 percent committed to ensuring the death penalty is carried out for Nidal Hasan,” said Pete Hegseth.
🎯IMPACT: If approved, this would mark the first U.S. military execution in over 60 years, delivering long-awaited justice for the victims and their families.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is set to request authorization from President Donald J. Trump to move forward with the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the jihadist former Army major convicted of carrying out the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas. According to a senior Department of War official, the execution would be the first carried out by the U.S. military in more than 60 years.
A former Army psychiatrist, Hasan is currently incarcerated at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for the 2009 attack, which killed 13 people and wounded another 32. Armed with a semi-automatic pistol, Hasan entered Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Center and opened fire on service members preparing for deployment.
During his trial, Hasan confessed to the shooting, claiming it was necessary to protect the “Islamic Empire” from American forces. The Pentagon categorized the massacre as an act of “workplace violence,” a decision widely criticized for ignoring the ideological and terrorist motivations behind the attack.
In 2013, a military jury convicted Hasan and sentenced him to death. After years of appeals, Hasan’s final legal challenge was rejected in April 2025, clearing the way for execution.
“I am 100 percent committed to ensuring the death penalty is carried out for Nidal Hasan,” Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth said. “This savage terrorist deserves the harshest lawful punishment for his 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. The victims and survivors deserve justice without delays.”
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