U.S. to Livestream Army Firing Squad Execution of Fort Hood Gunman Nidal Hasan

WASHINGTON – The United States will livestream the Army’s firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, the Pentagon has said. Experts describe the step as unprecedented.

A Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the plan on Thursday and said further details would be released later. The confirmation followed remarks by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said in a television interview that the execution would be made public and that people would be able to watch it. Officials have not said which platform will carry the broadcast or how the Army intends to carry out the execution.

The execution is scheduled to take place at Fort Hood on Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced on Monday that Hegseth had recommended execution by an Army firing squad and that President Donald Trump had approved the decision. The White House referred questions about the livestream to the Pentagon.

If carried out, it would be the first execution of a U.S. service member by the military since 1961. No other country is known to televise or livestream a judicial execution, according to experts, and the last public execution in the United States took place roughly 90 years ago.

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, opened fire on November 5, 2009, inside a readiness processing centre at Fort Hood, where soldiers were waiting for medical checks and immunisations ahead of deployment. Thirteen people were killed and more than 30 wounded. A military jury convicted him and sentenced him to death in 2013. He lost his final appeal in 2025 and is held on military death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

The plan has drawn criticism from some legal experts. Geoffrey Corn, a law professor at Texas Tech University and former Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer, said broadcasting the execution raises serious moral questions beyond the broader debate over capital punishment. Military law experts have also noted that Hasan could still file a habeas corpus petition in civilian court, which could significantly delay the execution.

Asked whether Hasan had made any final requests or contacted the administration, Hegseth said he did not care.