World · India Bureau
US approves firing-squad execution for Fort Hood attack perpetrator
The United States has authorised the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hasan, the former military psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in a 2009 shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. The decision marks a significant development in a case that has remained in legal limbo for over a decade.
LSN India ·
Nidal Hasan was court-martialled and sentenced to death following the November 2009 attack at Fort Hood, one of the deadliest mass shootings on a US military installation. In addition to the 13 fatalities, more than 30 others were wounded in the incident. Hasan, who was serving as a major in the Army Medical Corps at the time, opened fire on fellow soldiers and civilians at the base near Killeen, Texas.
The former psychiatrist's case has faced numerous legal challenges and appeals over the years, prolonging proceedings considerably. Hasan had claimed during his trial that he carried out the attack as a defence of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters, and he subsequently sought to withdraw his appeals and proceed with his execution.
Firing squad remains a less commonly used method of capital punishment in the United States, though it has seen renewed interest in recent years as states have struggled to obtain lethal injection drugs. The authorisation represents the culmination of years of legal proceedings and reflects shifting approaches to capital punishment in the US military justice system.