Trump approves death sentence for Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan

US President Donald Trump has finally approved the death sentence of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting case in Texas. The decision is drawing particular attention because the US military has not executed anyone since 1961.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced it on the social media platform X. He said the concerned military authorities would decide when and where Hasan's sentence would be carried out. Following Trump's approval, the legal and administrative process required to carry out the sentence will move forward.

Nidal Malik Hasan is a former US Army major and psychiatrist. He is regarded as the mastermind of the mass shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas on November 5, 2009. Thirteen people were killed and more than 30 were injured in the attack.

Hasan was then working as a psychiatrist in the US Army. He opened fire in the building where soldiers were undergoing medical checks. Speaking of his role, Hasan had said he did it to stop American soldiers from going to Afghanistan. He reportedly made little effort to defend himself during the trial.

Despite the President's approval, Hasan will not necessarily be put to death immediately. He may have other legal options, including a habeas corpus petition in a federal civil court. It is therefore believed that actual execution of the sentence could take several years.

The death penalty is extremely rare in the US military justice system. Before this, Private John Bennett was given the death sentence in 1961. Attention is now on the further legal process in Hasan's case and on the actual carrying out of the sentence.