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Fort Hood shooter to be executed by firing squad, in first since World War Two

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Cite

Habeshian, S. (2026, October 6). Fort Hood shooter to be executed by firing squad, in first since World War Two. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8ezkkkrpy1o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

BBC News · collected 2026-10-06 · by Sareen Habeshian

Quick Summary

The Pentagon has decided to execute former US Army major Nidal Malik Hasan, responsible for a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood that killed 13 soldiers and injured 32 others, by firing squad. This will be the first military execution using this method since World War II. The decision was approved by President Donald Trump following a recommendation from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Hasan admitted his actions during his court-martial and claimed he acted to protect Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Written by AI on 2026-10-06, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 16, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump canceled plans to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, who was convicted and sentenced to death for killing 13 people in a mass shooting at Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009. The decision came after widespread criticism from domestic and international stakeholders, including U.S. politicians and religious organizations. Trump stated that although the streaming could serve as a deterrent against terrorism, he acknowledged that many Americans would prefer not to witness such an event. The execution will still take place but will not be publicly broadcast. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed the cancellation in a statement. This reversal marks a significant shift following initial plans announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier in October. Interviews with Americans showed overwhelming support for Trump's decision, citing concerns about making a spectacle out of an execution and likening public broadcasting to practices seen in countries like North Korea. The actual date and location of the execution have not been disclosed but must occur within 150 days of the president's approval, no sooner than 60 days from the announcement.

Written for “Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Nidal Hasan” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 145 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Nidal Hasan
Politics · 146 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans right and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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⚖️ Leans right Hedges 3 of 38 claims Outlet record 60/100
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Dawn
Hedges 2 of 42 claims Outlet record 72/100
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BBC News
Hedges 0 of 12 claims Outlet record 68/100
Fort Hood jihadist Nidal Hasan set to die by firing squad this year for killing 13 in first military execution in 65 years Same event
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 2 of 40 claims Outlet record 68/100
US to livestream Army execution of Fort Hood shooter, Pentagon official says Same event
The Straits Times
Hedges 1 of 7 claims Outlet record 66/100
Fort Hood killer Nidal Hasan will be executed by firing squad at same military base where he carried out mass shooting as date’s set Same event
New York Post
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 66/100
Fort Hood mass shooter could be executed by firing squad Same event
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100
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Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left further left than this Hedges 6 of 49 claims Outlet record 60/100
Trump approves firing squad execution for Fort Hood attacker Nidal Hasan Same event
Al Jazeera
Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 60/100
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National Post
Hedges 1 of 25 claims Outlet record 60/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
BBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
146
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Sareen Habeshian
29 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 29 articles by Sareen Habeshian →

Topics

American Army Pentagon US Army World War Two

Subjects

Hasan PERSON · 4× US Army ORG · 3× American NORP · 2× Pentagon ORG · 2× Trump PERSON · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Nidal Malik Hasan PERSON · 1× Parnell PERSON · 1× Pete Hegseth PERSON · 1× Sean Parnell PERSON · 1×

Narrative

"Judgement day for Hasan has finally come," he wrote on X. Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist from Virginia, killed 13 soldiers at the base in Texas in 2009 and later admitted in court he was the gunman and apologised for "any mistakes". He said during his court-martial in 2013 that he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-06
🔮 - Published The Pentagon has announced it will execute a former US Army major by firing squad, the first such military execution in more than 60 years.
2026-10-06 · BBC News
Fort Hood shooter to be executed by firing squad, in first since World War Two · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 1 hedged)

- Published The Pentagon has announced it will execute a former US Army major by firing squad, the first such military execution in more than 60 years. asserted
it → publish → years
Nidal Malik Hasan, a US Army major and physician, fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, injuring another 32. asserted
Hasan → shoot → 32
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced on social media on Monday that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had made the recommendation and President Donald Trump approved it. asserted
Trump → announce → it
Hasan was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder by a jury panel of 13 officers, which unanimously recommended his death sentence. asserted
which → convict → sentence
Parnell said the Secretary of the Army will set the time and place of the execution. asserted
Secretary → say → execution
"Judgement day for Hasan has finally come," he wrote on X. Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist from Virginia, killed 13 soldiers at the base in Texas in 2009 and later admitted in court he was the gunman and apologised for "any mistakes". He said during his court-martial in 2013 that he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan. asserted
he → come → Afghanistan
The attack took place in a crowded medical building where deploying soldiers were awaiting check-ups and vaccines. asserted
soldiers → take → ups
A military execution requires approval from the US president, according to military law. uncertain
execution → require → law
It also requires appellate review and a final judgment on its legality to move forward. asserted
It → require → legality
The US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces deemed the military death penalty unconstitutional in 1983 but it was reinstated the following year by an executive order under then-President Ronald Reagan. asserted
it → deem → Reagan
Military executions differ from those carried out at the state level. asserted
executions → differ → level
The majority of executions in the US are carried out on the state level, with 27 states, the military and the federal government still having capital punishment as a legally available option. asserted
states → carry → option
There was an execution by firing squad carried out last year in South Carolina, a first for the state and the first time the method was used in the US in 15 years. asserted
method → be → years
Four other states allow the use of a firing squad, including Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah. asserted
states → allow → Idaho
Trump has been a proponent of the federal death penalty and re-instated it through an executive order on the first day of his administration in January 2025. asserted
Trump → re → January
Under his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, the justice department had issued a moratorium on the federal use of the death penalty. asserted
department → issue → penalty
The executive order signed by Trump describes capital punishment as "an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens". asserted
who → sign → citizens
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