Firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter to be livestreamed: Pentagon official
Pentagon confirms livestream of Fort Hood shooter's firing squad execution
The US will livestream the Army’s Dec. 3 firing‑squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 in the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, a Pentagon official said on Thursday.
The announcement follows Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s earlier remark that the execution would be “public” and that “we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it.”
"It will be livestreamed. Details will follow," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
What happened at Fort Hood in 2009
On Nov. 5, 2009, Hasan, then an Army major and psychiatrist, opened fire at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center on the Fort Hood base in Texas, killing 12 soldiers and one civilian and wounding dozens before being shot, severely injured, and arrested.
A court‑martial jury in 2013 found him guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder, then sentenced him to death five days later.
Who is Nidal Malik Hasan? Early life and education Born: Sept. 8, 1970, in Arlington, Virginia, to Palestinian immigrant parents. Education: B.S. in biochemistry (with honors), Virginia Tech, 1997. M.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (military medical school), 2001. Psychiatry training: Internship, residency, and fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 2003–2009. Military career before the shooting: Joined the Army in June 1997 and served for about 12 years. Worked as an Army psychiatrist, including assignments where he evaluated soldiers’ mental fitness for deployment. By 2009 he held the rank of major and was stationed at Fort Hood.
Why this execution is historically significant
First U.S. military execution since 1961: If carried out, it would be the first US military execution since 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was executed by hanging.
First Army firing squad since World War II: The military has not used a firing squad to carry out an execution since 1945, making the method itself a notable break from recent practice.
Symbolic timing and location: The U.S. Army has confirmed that Nidal Malik Hasan’s execution is scheduled for December 3, 2026. The execution is scheduled for 1 pm Central Time at Fort Hood — the same base where the 2009 attack occurred — after President Donald Trump approved the death sentence on Oct. 2 and Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle issued the execution order on Oct. 6.
How the decision was made
Under military death‑penalty procedure, the Army secretary initiates execution proceedings, which then require approval from the defense secretary and ultimately the president.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth recommended death by firing squad and Trump approved it, after which Telle set the date, time, and place.
Army rules require executions to occur within 150 days of presidential approval but no sooner than 60 days, a window that frames the December timeline.
What “livestreamed” means
Hegseth told Real America’s Voice that the execution would be “public” and that the public would be able to watch it, prompting follow‑up clarification from Pentagon officials that it would be livestreamed, with more details to come.
Army regulations already require that at least two media outlets be selected to witness an execution; the livestream appears to extend that principle to a broader public audience.
Reactions and possible legal hurdles
Survivors and victims’ families are divided: some plan to attend or witness the firing squad, while others say their faith, not Hasan’s death, brings them peace.
Legal observers note Hasan could still seek to delay proceedings by filing a habeas corpus appeal in federal court, even with the date set.
