U.S. schedules 2026 firing-squad execution for Fort Hood attacker
The U.S. has scheduled Major Nidal Malik Hasan’s military execution for December 3, 2026, by firing squad. The plan revives an exceptionally rare method and has prompted debate over capital punishment and public spectacle.
By DoomRadar · Published on DoomRadar . Updated .
Based on one source with available article excerpts. Source-linked claims are not independent confirmation.
Event date: The execution is scheduled for December 3, 2026; the recommendation and presidential approval occurred in October 2026. [1]
What happened
Major Nidal Malik Hasan was convicted by a general court-martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for the deadly 2009 attack at Fort Hood, Texas, and sentenced to death in 2013. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Unthinkable plan in the US revives firing squads and live broadcastsbankingnews.gr · Recorded source date: Oct 10, 2026, 3:17 PM UTC
Military appellate courts upheld the sentence, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case in 2025, according to the account of the case’s legal history. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Unthinkable plan in the US revives firing squads and live broadcastsbankingnews.gr · Recorded source date: Oct 10, 2026, 3:17 PM UTC
The execution is scheduled for December 3, 2026, using a firing squad. The article says Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recommended that method in October 2026 and President Donald Trump approved the recommendation. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Unthinkable plan in the US revives firing squads and live broadcastsbankingnews.gr · Recorded source date: Oct 10, 2026, 3:17 PM UTC
The planned method is historically rare: the source identifies Private Eddie Slovik’s January 1945 execution in France as the last American military execution by firing squad and says the December case would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Unthinkable plan in the US revives firing squads and live broadcastsbankingnews.gr · Recorded source date: Oct 10, 2026, 3:17 PM UTC
Context from the sources
The Uniform Code of Military Justice, enacted in 1950 and effective from 1951, establishes a uniform criminal justice system for U.S. armed forces, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Space Force. [1]
What happened before, and what is different now
A documented earlier episode helps explain a possible mechanism. Its outcome does not predict this event.
The earlier episode
The last American military execution by firing squad was Private Eddie Slovik’s execution in France in January 1945; the article also identifies 1961 as the last U.S. military execution overall. [1]
What connects them
Both episodes involve a U.S. military death sentence carried out under military authority, with firing squad as the method in Slovik’s case. [1]
What is different
The scheduled 2026 execution would follow a military conviction from the 2009 Fort Hood attack and would occur after appellate courts upheld the sentence and the Supreme Court declined review in 2025.
What to watch here
The historical gap shows how exceptional the proposed method is, but it does not establish whether the 2026 execution will proceed as scheduled or how it will be conducted.
Explore the sources and reporting timeline
1 source links · 1 domains
These counts describe the references, not independent confirmations. Different outlets can repeat the same original report.
Source timeline
Oldest to newest among the available source dates, not a chronology of the incident. Article publication dates come from the source; other recorded dates may reflect when a link was found.
- [1] Unthinkable plan in the US revives firing squads and live broadcastsbankingnews.grReferenced for: detail 1, detail 2, detail 3, detail 4
Questions answered by the reporting
What makes the planned method unusual?
The article identifies it as the first execution of a U.S. service member by firing squad since 1945. [1]
What this could mean for you
For U.S. military justice, the case could become a prominent test of how an exceptionally rare execution method is used after ordinary military appeals have ended; the practical outcome depends on whether the scheduled execution proceeds.
Possible consequences, not a forecast. Their relevance depends on your location and the conditions above.
For your country
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Still unclear
The provided reporting does not establish whether the December 3 execution will ultimately occur or whether it would be publicly broadcast.
The excerpts do not provide the execution location or details of any remaining legal challenge.
Market implications
Market impact
Sources (1)
References for the reported details. Separate links do not necessarily mean independent confirmation.
Available excerpt
This is the first military execution in the US since 1961 and the first execution of a service member by firing squad since 1945 A…A short excerpt from our source record; open the original for the full article.
First tracked by DoomRadar: . AI-assisted analysis · . Based on linked headlines and available excerpts. Methodology · Report an error.