Skip to content
World edition
Analyst Newspaper
Politics · Brief

Trump approves firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan

President Trump has approved the military's first execution in over 60 years, for the former Army psychiatrist convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.

Analysis deskEditor Andersson Iyke
23 outlets, 10 regions
ShareWhatsAppXLinkedInTelegramFacebookImage

What happened

US President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist convicted over the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, according to the Pentagon.12791718

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the method and Trump approved it, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said.918

The execution will be the first carried out by the US military since 1961, and the first by firing squad since the end of World War Two.21112182022

Hasan was sentenced to death by a military jury or court-martial, reports say variously dated to 2013.718

Key points

  • Nidal Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009.245789101213141618212223
  • More than two dozen people (reports variously say more than 30 or 32) were wounded in the attack.2571116
  • Trump approved the execution by firing squad, according to the Pentagon.1279141718
  • This will be the first execution carried out by the US military since 1961.28111214182022
  • The date and location of the execution have yet to be set by the US Army.1922

Where accounts differ

Each account is attributed to who makes it. We do not judge between them.

Exact number of people wounded in the attack

CNBC, Folha de S.Paulo

32 people were wounded.75

South China Morning Post, Channels Television, CNA

More than two dozen people were wounded.21116

The Hindu

More than 30 people were injured.15

When Hasan was sentenced to death

The Guardian

Hasan was sentenced to death by a military jury in 2013.18

CNBC

Hasan was sentenced to death after a court-martial, without specifying a year.7

What the coverage leaves out

  • None of the outlets reviewed reported reaction from victims' families or survivors of the Fort Hood shooting to the approval.
  • None of the outlets reviewed reported detailed legal or procedural steps still required before the execution can take place, beyond noting the Army must set a date and location.
  • Only a few outlets (Clarín, The Straits Times) provided additional context, such as a comparison to a recent failed execution in Tennessee or the gunman's stated motive, which most other outlets did not mention.

Why it matters

The Straits Times reported the gunman described the 2009 shooting as retaliation for US wars in the Muslim world.10

Clarín noted the approval comes days after a reportedly failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee.13

Al Jazeera noted the US Army has historically been averse to capital punishment and has not carried out an execution in decades.6

What to watch

  • The US Army is expected to determine the time and location of the execution, according to the Pentagon.

Sources (23)

Every outlet we drew on, grouped by where it is based. Read the originals for the full reporting.

Latin America

Europe

Russia & Eurasia

Oceania

ShareWhatsAppXLinkedInTelegramFacebookImage

More in Politics

Get every side of the day's news.

Join the list for our daily briefing, launching soon.