Trump approves an Army firing squad for Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, which would be the military’s first execution of a service member since 1961

The Trump administration has approved a plan to execute former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan by firing squad. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the decision late Monday, according to CBS News. Hasan killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood. Parnell shared the news on social media, noting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended using an Army firing squad and that President Trump approved it.

“The Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution. Judgment day for Hasan has finally come,” Sean Parnell wrote. Hasan was a former Army psychiatrist, and he was convicted of the murders during a 2013 court-martial and sentenced to death. At his trial, Hasan acknowledged his responsibility for the shooting.

He claimed that he opened fire on fellow members of the Army in an attempt to protect Islamic insurgents from U.S. military forces. Hasan’s case could mark the first time the military has executed an American service member since 1961. In that previous instance, a soldier was hanged for raping and attempting to murder an 11-year-old girl. A firing squad is also rare for the military, as the Army last used one during World War II.

The military has not executed one of its own soldiers since 1961

The federal government usually relies on lethal injection for civilian death penalty cases. However, the Justice Department indicated earlier this year that federal officials should consider other methods, including firing squads, electrocution, and lethal gas. South Carolina used a firing squad three times last year, which were the first such executions in the country since 2010.

The decision follows a lengthy appeals process, as Hasan’s case spent more than a decade moving through the courts. Hasan chose to represent himself at his 2013 trial, and he clashed with his own court-appointed standby attorneys. Those attorneys were concerned that Hasan was intentionally seeking the death penalty through his conduct.

Hasan later attempted to challenge his conviction and asked the Supreme Court to review his case. He argued that the judge violated his right to a public trial by clearing the courtroom before discussing issues with his attorneys. The high court declined to take up the issue last year, and the death sentence stayed in place.

Hegseth pledged months later to pursue the sentence. “I am 100 percent committed to ensuring the death penalty is carried out for Nidal Hasan,” Pete Hegseth said at the time. He replied to the announcement on Monday with a single word, writing “Justice.” Hasan is held on military death row at Fort Leavenworth, where he is one of four prisoners facing execution.

Hasan, however, could still try to delay the firing squad through further appeals. The Secretary of the Army has yet to set a date. Army policy calls for an execution no sooner than 60 days and no later than 150 days after presidential approval, which would likely place it between early December and early March.