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Military justice & executive power / SOURCED NEWS BRIEF

Trump approves Army firing-squad execution for Nidal Hasan

Presidential approval reported; the Army must set a time and place, and further litigation could delay or block execution

Edited by The Inner Circle Ledger · Summary of linked reporting

Donald Trump

Source published: Oct 6, 2026 · time not supplied · Event: 2026-10-05

Reuters and AP report that Trump approved execution by U.S. Army firing squad for former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended it. A military jury convicted Hasan in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the 2009 Fort Hood attack and sentenced him to death. The Army secretary must set the time and place. If carried out, it would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961.

Response / context

AP reports that presidential approval begins additional procedural steps and that Hasan can seek habeas relief in federal court, potentially delaying the case for years. Reuters reported that Death Penalty Action opposes the decision. No execution date had been announced. Approval is not the same as a scheduled or certain execution, and this brief does not predict the outcome of further review.

Dates and scope

Source publication: Oct 6, 2026 · time not supplied

Event or conduct: 2026-10-05. The Pentagon spokesman announced the presidential approval on October 5; Reuters and AP published reports October 6.

Source review: Oct 6, 2026 · 11:06 AM EDT

Dated report. Publication, event and review times are different; the review time is when the sources were last checked, not a live update.

This brief preserves the available response and disposition. Coverage is non-exhaustive. How we review sources.

Read the original sources

  1. Reuters: Trump orders firing squad for gunman who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas ↗

    Reporting - October 6

  2. Associated Press: Trump approves execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan by firing squad ↗

    Reporting - October 6

  3. U.S. Department of Defense: Hasan Sentenced to Death for Fort Hood Shooting ↗

    Primary sentencing record - August 28, 2013

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