What happened
Nidal Malik Hasan, a former U.S. Army Major and psychiatrist, will be executed by firing squad for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas. The attack killed 13 people and injured at least 30 others. Hasan was convicted and sentenced to death in 2013. He had yelled 'Allahu Akbar!' before opening fire on military members, intentionally targeting them.
According to Hasan, the attack was intended to keep the US out of Afghanistan and avoid the killing of his fellow Muslims. The execution was approved by President Donald Trump, with the time and place to be determined by the Secretary of the Army. This will be the first time the U.S. Army has carried out the death penalty in 65 years.
Republican leaders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have expressed support for the decision, calling it an appropriate punishment for a terrorist. Hasan is currently one of four men on military death row at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.
