Army sets Dec. 3 firing-squad execution for Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan
The Army plans to put Nidal Hasan to death by firing squad on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, the Texas base where he killed 13 people in 2009. The Army's acting leader, Adam Telle, set the date after President Donald Trump signed off. It would be the first military execution since 1961, but a court appeal could still delay it.
The Army has set a date to execute the man who carried out one of the deadliest attacks ever on a U.S. military base.
Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle said Tuesday that Nidal Malik Hasan will face an Army firing squad at Fort Hood, Texas. The execution is set for Thursday, Dec. 3, at 1 p.m. Central time. That puts the execution at the same base where the shooting happened. A memo Telle shared said President Donald Trump approved the execution order on Oct. 2, Army Times reported. The head of the Army's top prison, the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks, will lead it.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell first announced the decision Monday. He said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended a firing squad and Trump approved it. "Judgment day for Hasan has finally come," Parnell wrote. Families of the victims were told the date by email, CBS Texas reported.
Hasan was an Army psychiatrist and a major. On Nov. 5, 2009, he walked into a building at Fort Hood where soldiers were getting checkups before deploying. He opened fire, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. CBS Texas reported he fired 146 times. Hasan later said he wanted to stop soldiers from going to Afghanistan, AP reported, and he called himself a soldier who had "switched sides."
In 2013, a military jury found him guilty of 13 counts of murder and 32 counts of attempted murder. The same jury voted for death. Under military law, the president must sign off before a death sentence can be carried out.
If it goes ahead, it would be the first U.S. military execution in more than 65 years. The last was Army Pvt. John A. Bennett, who was hanged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in April 1961. The last military firing-squad execution came during World War II, when Pvt. Eddie Slovik was shot for desertion, CBS Texas reported.
The date is not final yet. AP reported that Hasan could put the process on hold, possibly for years. He could do that by filing a habeas corpus appeal in civilian federal court, according to a May article in the journal Army Lawyer.
What we know: The Army set Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, and Trump signed off on Oct. 2.
What we don't: Whether Hasan will appeal and delay the date.
Where outlets agree AP, Army Times and The Hill all report that the Army set Hasan's firing-squad execution for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood after Trump approved it.
Where they differ Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said "judgment day" has come, while AP reports Hasan could still delay the execution for years through a civilian court appeal.