Pentagon Announces Livestreamed Firing Squad Execution for Fort Hood Gunman Nidal Hasan

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, will be conducted publicly via livestream later this year. A Defense Department official subsequently confirmed the plans for the broadcast.

During an interview with Real America’s Voice, Hegseth stated a firing squad will carry out the sentence at Fort Hood, Texas, at 1 p.m. on Thursday, December 3. The event would mark the first U.S. military execution in over six decades.

“This was a radical Islamist attack carried out in uniform from within the ranks,” Hegseth said. “He will face a firing squad of soldiers, as is appropriate, and we will ensure the public can witness it. People need to understand there are severe consequences for such actions.”

On November 5, 2009, Hasan opened fire at a medical processing center on the Texas base, killing 13 and wounding dozens more. A military jury sentenced him to death in 2013, and he has been incarcerated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, since then. Having exhausted his appeals last year, the path was cleared for former President Donald Trump to approve the execution this week upon Hegseth’s recommendation.

Investigators discovered Hasan had exchanged 18 emails with radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was later killed in a U.S. drone strike, in the months preceding the attack. At his court-martial, Hasan stated he acted to prevent American soldiers from deploying to Afghanistan to kill fellow Muslims, shortly before his own scheduled deployment. A review led by former FBI Director William Webster concluded the bureau should have investigated his correspondence more thoroughly.

In the interview, Hegseth claimed former President Barack Obama had labeled the attack “workplace violence.” The Pentagon initially classified the shooting as a workplace-violence incident rather than a terrorist attack, a designation that impacted victims’ eligibility for Purple Hearts and other combat-related benefits.

However, there is no record of Obama personally using that phrase. At a memorial service days after the attack, Obama described the victims as Americans unable to escape “the horror of war,” called the shooting a tragedy, and vowed the perpetrator would face justice.

The last known U.S. military execution by firing squad occurred in November 1945. The Trump administration has sought to reinstate the method in its second term to expedite capital punishment cases. Currently, five states—Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah—authorize firing squads.

Internationally, Amnesty International’s most recent annual review lists Afghanistan, China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen among nations still utilizing firing squads.

When asked if Hasan had made a final request or contacted Trump, Hegseth responded: “Don’t care. We’ll see him on December 3.”

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