President Donald Trump approved the execution by firing squad of Nidal Hassan, a US Army psychiatrist who opened fire and killed 13 people at a military base in 2009, according to what the Pentagon announced on Monday.
On September 5, 2009, Nidal Hassan opened fire with a semi-automatic pistol at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 and wounding 30. Hassan's execution will be the first execution carried out by the US military since 1961.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on the X platform that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth “recommended, and President Donald J. Trump agreed to carry out the death sentence by firing squad by a US Army firing squad against the convicted terrorist Nidal Malek Hassan.
He added: “The Minister of the Army will determine the date and place of the sentence’s implementation.” The day of reckoning has finally come for Hassan.”
According to Agence France-Presse, a military jury sentenced Hassan to death in 2013 for carrying out a mass shooting at Fort Hood in an attack inspired by Al-Qaeda.
He chose to defend himself during the trial, but he did not call any witnesses or give any testimony, nor did he attempt to deny the charges against him. Court-appointed defense lawyers expressed concern that he was seeking the death penalty.
On November 5, 2009, Hassan, an American Muslim of Palestinian origin, opened fire inside a medical facility at Fort Hood, which was being used as a starting point for deploying soldiers in combat zones.
All the victims were dead and wounded soldiers. Hassan was shot by a civilian policeman who responded to the attack, and was partially paralyzed.
The court that convicted Hassan was informed that he opposed the American military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and that he communicated via the Internet with the extremist American preacher Anwar al-Awlaki, one of the most prominent leaders of Al-Qaeda, who was later killed in a raid launched by an American drone in Yemen.
Fox News announced on Monday that Carolyn Leavitt, a former White House spokeswoman and close ally of President Donald Trump, will join it to provide “commentary and analysis.”
Levitt will begin appearing on Fox News on November 1, according to a statement issued by Susan Scott, CEO of Fox News Media, who praised the former White House spokeswoman’s “understanding of the current political landscape.”
Levitt, who gave birth to her second child in the spring, stepped down from her position in late August to focus on her family, while at the same time confirming her intention to continue promoting the “MAGA” approach (Make America Great Again) in right-wing American politics.
Levitt said: “I look forward to presenting my unique vision derived from my experience as White House spokeswoman, accompanied by the same energy and frankness that distinguished my tenure,” according to what was reported by “Agence France-Presse.”
Leavitt appeared regularly as a guest on Fox News while in her previous position.
Trump has not yet appointed a new White House spokesman. Since her departure, the White House has stopped holding regular press conferences.
US President Donald Trump revealed on Monday that “threats” targeting American bombers stationed in the United Kingdom were behind their withdrawal from Fairford in southwest England.
“There were threats, so instead of leaving it vulnerable to enemies... we moved it around a little bit, we didn’t move it away that much,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
When asked whether he believed that Iran was responsible for the Fly Dubai plane incident, he said that he personally believed that it was actually responsible for it.
Hours earlier, Rubio said the withdrawal was not directly related to suspected terrorist threats, and described the transfer of military assets as a routine procedure.
The Pentagon later confirmed that all American bombers deployed at the Royal Air Force Base in Fairford had returned to their bases in the United States. This seemed to contradict Trump's statement that the planes were moved to a place "not very far away," according to what the German News Agency reported.
The Wall Street Journal reported that 12 B-1 bombers were stationed at the base until their recent departure.
The Wall Street Journal, citing American and European officials familiar with the matter, reported that there are urgent concerns about the possibility of launching a complex attack on orders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
According to the report, the planned attack was part of a broader Iranian plan aimed at attacking aircraft and killing personnel at the British Royal Air Force base in Fairford, including American pilots.
The Axios news website, citing American officials, reported that intelligence information indicating the possibility of Iran launching a drone attack prompted the withdrawal of about 12 B-1 bombers over the weekend.
Five men were arrested near the Fairford base in late September on suspicion of terrorism offences, and a sixth suspect was subsequently arrested. All of them have since been released on conditions.
The New York Times had previously reported that new threats against the Fairford base were behind the sudden withdrawal, citing two American officials who said that there was intelligence information about an Iranian-backed plan to attack the base.
The US military deployed additional long-range bombers in the United Kingdom in March, to give it greater flexibility in the war against Iran.
