We analyzed this claim: is it true that
Donald Trump approved Nidal Malik Hasan’s execution by U.S. Army firing squad?
An Army order confirms Donald Trump approved Nidal Malik Hasan’s death sentence, setting an execution by firing squad for December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas.
Donald Trump orders military execution for Fort Hood gunman
The U.S. Army sets a December firing squad for Nidal Malik Hasan after the president signs off on his death sentence.
In a nutshell
President Donald Trump has authorized the U.S. military to execute Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army doctor who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. The Army has ordered Hasan to face a firing squad at the base on December 3, 2026, marking the first U.S. military execution order to reach this stage since 1961. While the executive orders are signed, the scheduled date could still be postponed if Hasan petitions a civilian federal court to pause the proceedings.
Highlights
- Donald Trump approved the military death sentence for Nidal Malik Hasan on October 2.
- The U.S. Army scheduled the execution by firing squad for December 3, 2026, at Fort Hood, Texas.
- Hasan was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in 2013.
- The action would mark the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first by firing squad since 1945.
- Hasan retains the right to ask civilian federal courts for an emergency stay, which could delay the date.
From the Editor’s Diary
Under American law, the military cannot carry out a death sentence on its own; it requires the personal signature of the commander in chief. Even with that signature, civilian federal courts hold the final say over whether an execution date goes forward or gets put on hold.
Who's involved
Donald Trump
U.S. president and commander in chief whose signature is legally required to carry out a military death sentence
goal → decide whether to authorize, reduce, or halt the military death penalty against Hasan
Nidal Malik Hasan
former U.S. Army major and psychiatrist convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting
goal → challenge or delay the death sentence through civilian federal court petitions
Pete Hegseth
head of the Department of Defense who oversees all U.S. military branches
goal → ensure the court-ordered death sentence is carried out using an Army firing squad
Adam Telle
acting civilian head of the Department of the Army who issues official service orders
goal → establish the formal date, location, and execution method following presidential approval
U.S. Disciplinary Barracks
maximum-security military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where death-row inmates are held
goal → notify the prisoner, oversee security, and carry out the operational execution plan
In short
The United States has moved to carry out its first military execution in more than sixty years. Under federal law, a service member sentenced to death by a military court cannot be executed without direct approval from the president of the United States. Donald Trump gave that approval on October 2, clearing the armed forces to set a firm execution date for Nidal Malik Hasan, the former military doctor convicted of killing 13 people during a 2009 mass shooting at the Fort Hood army base in Texas.
The immediate next step is an execution scheduled for December 3, 2026, where an Army firing squad is ordered to carry out the sentence.
Whether that execution happens on schedule remains uncertain. Hasan now enters a phase where he can ask a civilian federal court to review his detention and halt the proceedings, a process that legal experts note can delay capital punishments for years. No court has issued such a pause, leaving the military timetable legally active.
How it unfolded
A mass shooting at a Texas army post begins a capital case
The case began on November 5, 2009, when Hasan opened fire inside an administrative center at Fort Hood, Texas, where soldiers were completing medical paperwork before deploying overseas. The gunfire killed 13 people and wounded 31 others. Military prosecutors brought 13 counts of premeditated murder alongside 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder, an extra count that included a civilian police officer who traded shots with Hasan without being hit.
Military court convicts Hasan and hands down a death sentence
Because Hasan was an active-duty officer, his trial took place under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the specialized legal system governing U.S. service members, rather than in a civilian state court. Army prosecutors charged him with murder within a week of the shooting and later added attempted murder. In August 2013, a military jury found him guilty on all 45 counts and unanimously sentenced him to death, starting a mandatory appeals process that lasted over a decade.
Hasan exhausts his direct appeals through the court system
The military justice system requires years of automatic appeals before any death sentence can become final. The highest military appellate court reviewed Hasan's trial, rejected his arguments, and affirmed the death penalty in March 2024. Hasan then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case. On March 31, 2025, the justices declined to hear his appeal, exhausting his direct legal challenges and sending the sentence to the White House for executive review.
Defense leaders prepare the case for White House action
With court appeals exhausted, the death penalty could not move forward without a presidential signature. In September 2025, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth stated his intention to see the punishment enforced, and defense officials began assembling the formal documents for presidential review. An official military legal journal later detailed that Hegseth had asked Trump to sign the death warrant, explaining that presidential approval gives the Army secretary between 60 and 150 days to carry out the sentence.
The president signs the warrant and the Pentagon confirms it
The White House acted at the start of October. Trump formally approved the death sentence on October 2, fulfilling the legal condition needed to proceed. Three days later, a Pentagon spokesman publicly confirmed the decision, stating that Hegseth had recommended using an Army firing squad and that Trump had accepted the recommendation, leaving the Army to schedule the specific date and location.
The Army issues an execution order for early December
On October 6, acting Army Secretary Adam Telle signed the order scheduling the execution for December 3 at 1 p.m. at Fort Hood, setting it 62 days after Trump's approval. The order directs the use of a firing squad and places the warden of the Fort Leavenworth military prison in charge of carrying it out. Victims' families were notified that evening. While the military apparatus is set, federal law still allows Hasan to ask civilian judges for an emergency stay, which could halt the execution.
Where things stand
The legal requirements to carry out a military death sentence are now complete on the executive side. Trump signed the required presidential approval on October 2, Hegseth recommended a firing squad, and the Army issued orders setting the execution for December 3 at Fort Hood. The military has not executed a service member since 1961, and has not used a firing squad since 1945.
The remaining unknown is whether civilian courts will intervene. Military officials must formally serve Hasan with the execution warrant, assign an execution team, and prepare the site. During this window, Hasan can file a habeas corpus petition in civilian federal court to challenge his detention and request an emergency stay. If a federal judge accepts that petition, the December date would be suspended while civilian courts review the case. As of October 7, no court has granted a stay.