WASHINGTON: The US Department of Defense plans to livestream the execution of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who killed 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the public would be able to watch the execution by firing squad. The Army has scheduled it for December 3, 2026, at Fort Hood, Texas.
Hegseth Says Execution Should Be Public
Hegseth discussed the execution in an interview with the conservative media outlet Real America’s Voice. He said the government would ensure people could watch the event because, in his view, the public needed to understand the serious consequences of such crimes.
A Pentagon official later confirmed that the execution would be livestreamed. However, officials have not yet released full details about how the broadcast will work.
Trump Approves Death Sentence
The Pentagon said President Donald Trump approved Hasan’s death sentence on October 2, following the completion of the military appeals process. Hegseth recommended the firing squad, while the Army subsequently set December 3 as the execution date.
If carried out as scheduled, the execution would mark the first US military execution in more than 65 years. It would also be the first US execution livestreamed for public viewing in the modern era, raising questions about the legal and ethical implications of broadcasting capital punishment.
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Hasan Convicted in 2009 Fort Hood Shooting
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, opened fire at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009. The attack killed 13 people and wounded 32 others.
A military jury convicted him in 2013 and unanimously recommended the death penalty. His case later went through the military appeals process before Trump approved the sentence.
Livestream Plan Raises Legal and Ethical Questions
The decision to livestream the execution has drawn attention from legal experts and death penalty specialists. They have raised concerns about the unprecedented nature of the plan and the legal questions surrounding public access to a military execution.
John Mills, a lawyer who works on death penalty cases, described the decision as highly unusual in the modern era and questioned the legal basis for the move.
The Pentagon has yet to provide full details about public access to the broadcast. Meanwhile, the planned execution has renewed debate over transparency, the role of punishment and the limits of public access to executions.
