Trump Orders Death Penalty for Former Army Psychiatrist Who Killed 13 US Service Members

Trump Orders Execution of Former Army Psychiatrist Who Killed 13 U.S. Service Members

October 6

The Pentagon announced on October 5 that President Donald Trump has ordered the execution by firing squad of a former U.S. Army psychiatrist who shot and killed 13 U.S. service members at Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said via social media X that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth submitted and urged the execution by firing squad of former U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan, and that President Trump signed off on and approved that proposal.

In November 2009, Hasan entered a medical facility at Fort Hood base and opened fire with a laser-sighted gun, killing 12 U.S. service members on duty and 1 retired service member, and injuring 32 others.

During the shooting, Hasan shouted in Arabic, which means "God is greatest," and later testified that it was retaliation for America's wars in the Muslim world.

In 2013, a military court found Hasan guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder, and sentenced him to death. Hasan, now 56 years old, was paralyzed from the waist down by police gunfire at the time of his arrest and lives in a wheelchair.

If Hasan is executed under the current order, it would be the first execution in the U.S. military since 1961. It would also be the first time the U.S. military has used a firing squad for an execution since 1945.

The time and place of the execution will be determined by the Secretary of the Army, according to reports.

Ref & Photo: Reuters

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