US Military Plans Public Livestream of Soldier’s Firing-Squad Execution

By Staff, Agencies

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced plans to livestream the execution of former US Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death for killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009, arguing that the public should witness the consequences of such crimes.

Hasan, a former Army major, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3. If carried out as planned, the execution would mark the first by the US military in more than six decades and the first Army firing-squad execution since World War II.

Speaking with conservative commentator Jack Posobiec on Thursday, Hegseth defended the decision to execute Hasan at the same military installation where the massacre occurred.

“He’s going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be, and we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth said.

The Department of War subsequently confirmed that the execution would be livestreamed for public viewing, with additional details expected to be announced later, according to reports by The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

Hasan, a US-born Muslim and former military psychiatrist, opened fire at a military processing center at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. During the attack, he reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic expression meaning “God is great.”

Investigators found that Hasan had previously exchanged emails with Anwar Al-Awlaki, a radical Islamic cleric who was later killed in a US drone strike in Yemen. During his court-martial, Hasan acknowledged responsibility for the massacre and argued that he had acted to protect fellow Muslims from US military operations in Afghanistan.

In 2013, he was convicted of premeditated murder and attempted murder and sentenced to death. The US Supreme Court declined to review his conviction in March 2025, removing a potential legal obstacle to the execution. President Donald Trump approved the execution earlier this month following a recommendation from Hegseth.

The execution is scheduled for 1 p.m. on December 3, approximately the same time of day as the original attack. However, Hasan could still seek a postponement through a separate legal challenge in federal civilian court.

The last execution carried out by the US military took place in 1961, when an Army private was hanged after being convicted of rape and the attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl.

Meanwhile, execution by firing squad remains legally permitted in five US states: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah, although the method is rarely used.

Public executions have become exceptionally rare in modern American history. The last widely recognized public execution in the country took place in Kentucky in 1936, when a convicted murderer was hanged before thousands of spectators.