President Donald Trump has approved execution by firing squad for the Fort Hood terrorist and mass murderer identified as Nidal Malik Hasan. The War Department is planning the execution, putting long-delayed military justice into motion.

The decision is presented as the proper punishment for a mass murderer. For supporters of swift and firm consequences, a firing squad offers an efficient and just end to the case.

A statement included in the announcement addressed what happens next: “The Secretary of the Army [Adam Telle] will set the time and place of the execution. Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.”

Hegseth reshared Parnell’s post and offered a one-word response: “Justice.” That blunt reaction captured the view of the decision and the punishment awaiting Hasan.

Justice.

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) October 5, 2026

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The proposed execution would also mark an exceedingly rare event in American military history. Political analyst John Basham reported that the military has not carried out an execution by firing squad in more than eight decades.

According to Basham, the last such execution involved Army Private Eddie Slovik. Slovik was executed for desertion, setting the historical benchmark cited in the report.

The broader record of military executions is nearly as striking. No military execution of any kind has occurred since 1961.

That 1961 execution involved Army Private John A. Bennett. Bennett was hanged for rape and attempted murder, making his death the most recent completed military execution.

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Another military execution was scheduled decades later but never took place. Ronald Gray was supposed to be executed in 2008 for rapes and murders that he committed during the 1980s.

A court stayed Gray’s execution, according to Military.com. The execution never happened, leaving Bennett’s 1961 hanging as the latest military execution.

Hasan’s execution would therefore break two lengthy stretches at once. It would be the first military execution since 1961 and the first military execution by firing squad in more than eight decades, based on Basham’s report.

FLASH: @POTUS TRUMP APPROVES ARMY FIRING SQUAD FOR FORT HOOD RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORIST MURDERER NIDAL HASAN

@POTUS Donald J. Trump Has Approved Death By @USArmy Firing Squad For Convicted Terrorist Nidal Malik Hasan. @SecWar @PeteHegseth Recommended The Penalty & The President Approved It. Hasan Opened Fire On Unarmed American Soldiers At Fort Hood In 2009. He Killed 13 People & Wounded 32 Others. During The Attack He Shouted “Allahu Akbar.” The @SecArmy Will Set The Time & The Place Of The Execution. Assistant To The Secretary Of War @SeanParnellASW Said Judgment Day For Hasan Has Finally Come. — John Basham (@JohnBasham) October 6, 2026

Carrying out the sentence could send a powerful warning to potential terrorists considering attacks against American troops. That message would be simple: Terror against Americans can bring the harshest possible consequences.

The timing is particularly significant because of an increase in terrorism worldwide. The threat environment includes calls for attacks as well as reported interest in targeting American officials and troops.

Al-Qaeda has called for additional plane hijackings like those carried out on 9/11. Those attacks killed almost 3000 people, a toll invoked as a reminder of what terrorist plots can unleash.

Jihadists are looking to attack American officials and troops. Against that backdrop, the firing squad announcement carries meaning beyond the punishment of one mass murderer.

The planned execution places military consequences in plain view at a moment when terrorists are again being encouraged to target Americans. Hasan’s fate will make would be attackers think seriously about the price of following through.

For Hasan, however, the announcement is not framed as a warning about some distant possibility. The Secretary of the Army will determine the time and place, while the planned punishment brings the case toward its final reckoning.

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Military executions have been absent for decades, and firing squads have been absent even longer. Trump’s approval signals that those lengthy gaps will not prevent the War Department from pursuing the punishment described in the announcement.

Justice delayed does not have to mean justice denied. After years without a military execution, Hasan now faces the firing squad approved by Trump, with scheduling authority placed in the hands of the Secretary of the Army.

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