Pentagon says Fort Hood shooter’s firing-squad execution will be livestreamed publicly

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Thursday that the firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will be livestreamed publicly, a first in modern US history. Hegseth made the remarks in an interview with Real America’s Voice, saying the execution scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, would be open for public viewing.

The Pentagon announced earlier this week that it would carry out the first US military execution in more than 60 years. Trump authorised the firing squad on Monday. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth made the recommendation and Trump approved it. Hegseth called the firing squad decision a “no-brainer.” “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public,” Hegseth said.

The 2009 attack and Hasan’s conviction

Hasan, a former US Army major and psychiatrist, fatally shot 13 people at Fort Hood on 5 November 2009. He walked into an army processing centre, shouted “Allahu akbar” and opened fire on soldiers waiting for medical attention. The shooting took place in a crowded medical building where deploying soldiers were awaiting check-ups and vaccines. Hasan was sentenced to death in August 2013 after a military jury found him guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder. He said during his court martial that he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and apologised for “any mistakes.”

Legal experts flag appeals and uncertain terrain

John Mills, a lawyer who works with death-sentenced inmates, called the plan “a grotesque spectacle” and “an unprecedented decision in the modern era.” Mills said the appellate process for Hasan is not over and he is likely to seek federal court review, which would likely stay the execution. Mills said he would be surprised if the execution happened. Deborah Denno, a Fordham law professor who has studied US execution methods, said there has never been a livestreamed execution. Denno said a livestreamed execution would “force a level of transparency that we have probably never seen before in this country.”

Historical context: 1945 and 1936

The last US military execution by firing squad was in 1945, during World War Two. The last public execution in the US took place in Owensboro, Kentucky, on August 14, 1936. No state or federal execution has ever been televised in the US.

Where will it stream?

It is unclear where the livestream will be available. Most major social media platforms have rules prohibiting or restricting livestreaming explicit content. The Verge contacted YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Meta, Rumble, and Kick; none responded before publication. Denno raised considerations about whether the livestream would be age-restricted and whether it would contravene platform policies. US Army regulation states at least two media outlets should be selected as witnesses. It is not clear whether troops, spectators, or US military officials would be present in person.

The execution is scheduled for 1pm US Central Time (19:00 GMT), the same time the 2009 shooting took place. A Defense Department official told Al Jazeera more details would come soon. The White House referred queries to the Pentagon when asked whether Trump would view the execution.