Pentagon Plans to Livestream Firing-Squad Execution of Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
Pentagon to Livestream Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan Firing Squad Execution Dec. 3 | 17GEN4
The U.S. military is preparing to carry out the firing-squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army major convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, and the Pentagon has said the event will be livestreamed for the public.
Hasan, then an Army psychiatrist, opened fire on November 5, 2009, at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center on Fort Hood, Texas, as soldiers prepared for deployments. He killed 13 people (including a pregnant soldier) and wounded 32 others before being shot and paralyzed by responding officers. A military court-martial convicted him in 2013 of premeditated murder and attempted murder and sentenced him to death. He has been held on military death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Appeals were exhausted, and the Supreme Court declined review in 2025.
President Donald Trump approved the death sentence by firing squad earlier this month on the recommendation of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle then directed that the execution take place at Fort Hood on December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central Time—the same base and roughly the same time of day as the original attack. If carried out, it would be the first U.S. military execution since 1961 (when Pvt. John Bennett was hanged) and the first Army firing-squad execution since 1945.
Hegseth stated in an interview with Real America’s Voice that Hasan would face “a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be,” and that the public would be able to watch “because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.” Pentagon officials subsequently confirmed the execution would be livestreamed, with further details to follow. Hegseth has described the choice of firing squad and the public nature of the event as a “no-brainer.” When asked about any final requests from Hasan, Hegseth replied that he did not care and that authorities would see him on December 3.
The plan has drawn significant attention and criticism as an unprecedented modern public execution in the United States. Public executions largely ended in the U.S. in the 1930s, and no U.S. execution has been televised or livestreamed before. Critics, including some lawmakers, legal experts, and religious figures, have questioned the optics, legality, and precedent of broadcasting a military execution. Vice President JD Vance later expressed uncertainty about whether a livestream would ultimately occur and said he would not watch it. Pentagon officials have not yet detailed the exact platform, technical arrangements, or full procedures for the broadcast or the firing squad itself.
Hasan has previously described the 2009 attack in ideological terms. The case has remained a flashpoint for debates over military justice, the death penalty, and how the government responds to attacks by service members. Families of victims have waited more than a decade and a half for the sentence to be carried out. As of the latest reports, the December 3 date remains scheduled, though military and legal processes can still intervene.
Pentagon to Livestream Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan Firing Squad Execution Dec. 3 | 17GEN4
The Pentagon plans to livestream the December 3, 2026, firing-squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. First military execution in decades.
Nidal Hasan execution, Fort Hood shooter livestream, Pentagon firing squad, Nidal Malik Hasan December 3, Pete Hegseth public execution, military death penalty, Fort Hood 2009 shootingLongtail Keywords: Pentagon plan to livestream firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan execution date December 3 2026, first US military execution since 1961 livestream, Hegseth public firing squad Fort Hood
#NidalHasan #FortHood #FiringSquad #Pentagon #PeteHegseth #DeathPenalty #MilitaryJustice #17GEN4 #BreakingNews #USMilitary
Comments