Donald Trump has approved an execution for former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan. Hasan was sentenced to death for the 2009 Fort Hood massacre. The decision would bring the U.S. military death penalty back into focus.
Nidal Hasan’s execution would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961
Trump approved an execution by firing squad for Hasan, according to TMZ. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others. The attack occurred during the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas.
The decision involves one of the most notorious cases in U.S. military history. Hasan admitted at trial that he was the Fort Hood shooter. He said he acted to stop American soldiers from harming Muslims overseas.
Hasan’s planned firing squad execution would mark a major historical moment. The U.S. military has not carried out an execution since 1961. Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged that year at Fort Leavenworth.
The last military firing squad execution happened even earlier. Pvt. Eddie Slovik was executed by firing squad in France during World War II. Slovik was put to death for desertion in 1945.
The timing also follows a botched execution attempt in Tennessee. Christa Pike reportedly survived two doses of lethal-injection drugs. Tennessee officials subsequently halted the state’s remaining executions for years.
The Nidal Hasan execution would therefore use a markedly different method. The military has historically used several execution methods under its death-penalty system. Hasan’s case could make the military execution especially significant because of its rarity.
Trump’s decision concerns a case that has remained controversial for years. Hasan’s conviction followed the deadly attack at Fort Hood. The victims included military personnel and others present at the Texas Army post.
For now, the execution represents an extraordinary development in the aftermath of the Fort Hood massacre. Hasan remains at the center of a case that changed the military community. His potential execution would also revive attention surrounding one of America’s deadliest military shootings.
