Trump approves execution of Fort Hood gunman
The approval sets in motion a procedure that could lead to the first US military execution since 1961.
.jpg){kind=link}
President Donald Trump has approved the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted of the 2009 shooting at the US Army base Fort Hood. The time and place of the execution have not yet been set.
Hasan was sentenced to death by a military court for the attack, in which 13 people were killed and more than 30 people were wounded. He was an army psychiatrist and was serving in the US Army at the time of the attack.
According to the Pentagon, Trump approved Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s proposal to carry out the sentence by firing squad. The Secretary of the Army must now determine how the execution procedure will be carried out.
The approval does not mean that the execution will take place immediately. Legal steps remain possible in military death penalty cases. A publication by the US Army Lawyer describes how judicial proceedings can still follow after presidential approval.
An execution would be historic. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the last US service member was executed in April 1961. Military death sentences have been handed down since then, but no execution has been carried out within the US military system.
The decision fits into a broader course by the Trump administration to apply the death penalty more explicitly again. In April, the US Department of Justice announced that firing squads would be added to the federal protocol as a possible execution method.
Supporters see the approval as the conclusion of a long-running criminal case and as confirmation of military responsibility. Opponents of the death penalty point to the irreversibility of executions and the question of whether the state should have the right to kill someone. There is still no clarity about the execution or any new legal proceedings.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Hasan was sentenced to death by a military court.
- Trump has approved the execution, but there is still no execution date.
- An execution would be the first US military execution since 1961.
Left
Arguments The state should not carry out executions because errors and unequal application of the death penalty are irreparable. A lengthy prison sentence protects society without the government itself killing anyone.
Values Human rights, human dignity and restraint in the use of state force.
Consequences Abolition prevents irreversible errors, but supporters of the death penalty see it as insufficient retribution.
Centre
Arguments The military court’s ruling should be respected, but the government must allow all legal remedies and procedural safeguards to run their full course.
Values The rule of law, due process and institutional legitimacy.
Consequences A lengthy procedure can give proper weight to legal oversight, but prolongs uncertainty for relatives and military personnel involved.
Right
Arguments In this view, anyone who killed 13 people on a military base deserves the harshest possible punishment. The president must visibly uphold military order and accountability.
Values Retribution, security and authority.
Consequences Carrying out the execution could strengthen confidence in military justice, but could also prompt international criticism and further legal battles.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The core facts have been confirmed by AP, the Pentagon via AP and specialised legal sources. The article clearly distinguishes between approval and actual execution.
- confirmed Trump has approved the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan. — Confirmed by AP based on Pentagon communications. source
- confirmed The 2009 attack at Fort Hood killed 13 people. — Mentioned in the AP report. source
- confirmed The last US military execution took place in 1961. — Confirmed by the Death Penalty Information Center. source
- confirmed The decision could still be delayed by legal proceedings. — Discussed in Army Lawyer. source
Editor's note
The presidential approval, the conviction and the historical context have been confirmed. There is still no execution date, and a legal delay remains possible.Sources
- Trump approves firing squad execution for Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan — Associated Press
- The Death Penalty in the U.S. Military — Death Penalty Information Center
- From Soldier to Condemned Prisoner — U.S. Army Lawyer
- The Justice Department Takes Actions to Strengthen the Federal Death Penalty — U.S. Department of Justice
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „donald trump”
- De Telegraaf — „donald trump”
- AD — „donald trump”