Nidal Hasan: Trump Gives Go-Ahead for Firing Squad Execution

Former President Donald Trump has given his approval for the execution of Nidal Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist responsible for the 2009 mass shooting at a military base. Hasan, who killed 13 people and wounded over two dozen at Fort Hood in Texas, is set to be executed by a firing squad, marking the first such military execution in the United States since 1961.

The Pentagon's spokesman, Sean Parnell, confirmed the development on X, stating that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had recommended the death sentence for the convicted terr*rist, Nidal Malik Hasan, and President Trump had subsequently approved it. Parnell added that the Secretary of the Army would determine the precise time and location for the execution, signaling that "Judgement day for Hasan has finally come."

Hasan received his death sentence in 2013 from a military jury for his role in the Al-Qaeda inspired attack at Fort Hood. During his trial, he opted to represent himself, declining to call any witnesses, offer testimony, or dispute the charges. His court-appointed defense lawyers had previously voiced concerns that he might be actively seeking an execution.

Born in the US to parents of Palestinian descent, Hasan initiated his deadly rampage on November 5, 2009, at a medical facility located within the expansive Fort Hood base. This facility served as a crucial point for soldiers preparing for deployment to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Among the casualties, twelve of the deceased and thirty of the wounded were military personnel. Hasan was ultimately shot and partially paralyzed by a civilian police officer responding to the incident.

Investigations revealed that Hasan held strong opposition to the US military's engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, he was found to have engaged in online communications with Anwar al-Awlaki, an alleged Al-Qaeda operative and American cleric who was later killed in a US drone strike in Yemen.