The former U.S. Army officer convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad in December in what would be the first military execution in more than 65 years.

The announcement stunned an attorney who had represented Nidal Malik Hasan in a civil case, and raised concerns among experts on military law about whether the Army followed its mandated process for setting an execution and notifying a prisoner they've been condemned to death.


President Donald Trump's announcement on Monday that Hasan would be executed by firing squad also sparked questions about how a firing squad would be assembled and what procedure it would use. The last time the military executed someone by firing squad was shortly after World War II.

Here's a look at what we know about the military execution process and how experts said this case may proceed.

Military officials declined to provide details

In a post on social media Tuesday, acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle said he scheduled the execution for 1 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood - the site where Hasan opened fire killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others.

Telle confirmed in his post on X that Trump had approved the execution on Oct. 2, starting the clock in Army regulations that requires an execution date to be set no sooner than 60 days and no later than 150 days after that approval.

Telle also noted that the execution would be carried out by firing squad, but did not offer details of where on base the execution would take place, what personnel would be a part of that squad or what procedure they would follow.

The Associated Press asked both Pentagon officials and the Army for more details, but those requests were declined. A message to the Army seeking comment on the potential procedural issues was sent Wednesday.

The procedures for execution in Army regulations do not contain specific protocols for particular methods of execution. Experts said in previous iterations of the firing squad - nearly 80 years ago - one shooter would be given a blank so 
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