The Pentagon is preparing to request authorization from President Donald Trump to carry out the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas. This would mark the first U.S. military execution in more than sixty years.
Hasan, who was a U.S. Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded over 30 others during an attack at Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Center. The victims were fellow service members preparing for deployment.
Following his conviction, Hasan has been held at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. He exhausted his legal options earlier this year when the U.S. Supreme Court denied his final appeal, clearing the way for a presidential decision on setting an execution date.
A senior Department of Defense official told The Daily Caller News Foundation that the Pentagon will seek Trump’s approval to proceed with Hasan’s death sentence.
“I am 100 percent committed to ensuring the death penalty is carried out for Nidal Hasan,” said @SecWar exclusively to DCNF. “This savage terrorist deserves the harshest lawful punishment for his 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood.”
If President Trump authorizes the execution, it will be a significant development as no U.S. military execution has taken place since the mid-20th century.
