Fort Hood shooter faces firing squad execution, first since WWII

Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood military base in Texas, has been sentenced to death by firing squad. The execution represents a historic milestone in American military justice, ending a hiatus of more than 50 years since the last military execution in 1961.

Hasan opened fire on fellow soldiers and civilians at the sprawling installation in November 2009, injuring dozens more in what became one of the deadliest mass shootings at a U.S. military facility. The attack sent shockwaves through the armed forces and sparked extensive reviews of security protocols at military installations across the country.

The decision to carry out the execution by firing squad is particularly significant as the method had not been used in U.S. military capital punishment since the conclusion of World War Two. Military firing squads, once a standard form of execution in the armed forces, have been largely replaced by other methods in civilian jurisdictions.

The case has moved through the military justice system over more than a decade, with extensive legal proceedings and appeals. Hasan's execution, when carried out, will serve as a stark reminder of the gravity with which the military treats crimes of this magnitude and the enduring use of capital punishment within the armed forces.