Nidal Malik Hasan to be executed by U.S. Army firing squad

Nidal Malik Hasan, a former Army officer and psychiatrist, who killed 13 people and injured 32 others during a mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, will be executed by a U.S. Army firing squad, according to an announcement by the Pentagon on Monday. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended and President Donald J. Trump approved the execution method for Hasan, who was convicted of the attack where he opened fire on unarmed American soldiers while shouting 'Allahu Akbar.' Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell stated, 'Judgement day for Hasan has finally come.' The Secretary of the Army will determine the time and place of the execution. If carried out by firing squad, this would be the first such execution since January 31, 1945, when Pvt. Eddie D. Slovik was executed for desertion during World War II. The last military death sentence was carried out in 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was executed by hanging at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for rape and attempted murder. Hasan, who was born in northern Virginia, carried out the shooting on November 5, 2009, at a Fort Hood readiness processing center using a semi-automatic handgun, killing 13 people, including a pregnant soldier. Former Army Staff Sgt. Patrick Zeigler, a two-time combat veteran, was shot four times in the attack and recounted his experience, stating, 'He looked me straight in the eyes as he pointed the gun at me, and a split second later, I’m on the floor with a hole in my head.' Hasan admitted to the shooting during his court-martial and stated in 2013 that he acted in support of the Taliban. He had requested a delay in court proceedings to prepare a new legal strategy claiming he acted 'in defense of others.' When asked by presiding Judge Col. Tara Osborn who he was defending, Hasan replied, 'The leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban.' He was convicted by a military jury in August 2013, which recommended a death sentence. Hasan has since been incarcerated on death row at Fort Leavenworth.