Trump approves death by military firing squad for ‘jihadist’ who committed terror attack that left 13 dead at Fort Hood
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
The new development is that President Donald Trump has approved a recommendation from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for Nidal Hasan to be executed by US Army firing squad. Hasan was sentenced to death for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, which killed 13 people and wounded dozens; the Army secretary will set the time and place of the execution.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, opened fire on soldiers at a medical building in Texas and was shot, leaving him paralysed from the waist down. At his 2013 trial, he said he had “switched sides” in what he called America’s war with Islam; prosecutors also said he wanted to avoid deployment to Afghanistan. The article says Hasan would be the second person executed by firing squad since 2010, amid a broader move by the Trump administration to expand execution methods.
- Trump approved a firing squad execution for Nidal Hasan.
- Hasan killed 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.
- The Army secretary will decide when and where it happens.
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In 2009, an Army psychiatrist named Nidal Hasan opened fire on soldiers at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. The shooting killed 13 people, wounded 32 others, and was one of the deadliest attacks at a US military installation.
Hasan survived the incident but was left paralysed from the waist down. At his 2013 trial, he stated that he had "switched sides" in what he described as a war between America and Islam, although prosecutors argued he was motivated by a desire to avoid deployment to Afghanistan.
Firing squad executions are rare in the United States military. The use of this method is uncommon in modern American military justice.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Hasan's attack killed 13 comrades and wounded 32 others in a deliberate, ideologically motivated assault within military jurisdiction—a crime of exceptional gravity that demands proportionate justice. His clear intent and ideological conviction demonstrate culpability, and the military justice system applies capital punishment rarely and under distinct authority. Life imprisonment fails to provide justice commensurate with the loss of 13 lives and the grievous harm inflicted on 32 others.
The case against
Capital punishment remains ethically indefensible and irreversible, with documented inconsistency in application across the justice system. Life imprisonment adequately protects society whilst preserving the possibility of appeal and error correction, and resources might better serve victims' families and address extremism's root causes than pursuing execution. The rarity of military firing squad executions raises questions about whether such severe punishment is applied consistently or influenced by crime circumstances.