Pentagon asks Trump to approve first execution of a US serviceman in 60 years
Kyiv • UNN
The US Department of Defense is preparing to appeal to President Donald Trump to approve the execution of Nidal Hasan, who committed a shooting at Fort Hood in 2009. This could be the first execution of a US serviceman in over six decades.
The US Department of Defense is preparing an official appeal to President Donald Trump asking him to approve the execution of former army major Nidal Hasan, who carried out a mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. If the president agrees, it will be the first execution of an American serviceman in over six decades. This was reported by Fox News, writes UNN.
Details
Hasan, a military psychiatrist of Palestinian descent, opened fire at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in 2009. Since then, he has been on death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, awaiting the final signing of his death warrant by the president. During the trial, he stated that he acted in defense of the "Islamic Empire" and opposed US involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2013, a military tribunal found him guilty and sentenced him to death. For more than a decade, he filed appeals, but in April 2025, his last appeal was finally rejected, paving the way for the execution of the sentence.
I am 100% committed to ensuring the execution of Nidal Hasan. This brutal terrorist deserves the harshest legal punishment. The victims and survivors must receive justice without delay.
Hasan's case has been accompanied by scandals from the very beginning. The Pentagon classified the attack as "workplace violence," which drew a wave of criticism from the victims' families and experts who insisted that it was an ideologically motivated terrorist act.
Hasan remains one of four inmates awaiting execution under US military jurisdiction. The final decision now rests with President Trump.