Pentagon plans to livestream Fort Hood shooter's firing-squad execution, reports say
In short
The US Department of Defense plans to livestream the December 3 firing-squad execution of former Army major Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas, according to reports citing Pentagon officials. President Trump approved the execution, which will take place at Fort Hood, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said it would be carried out in public.
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The US Department of Defense plans to livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, a former Army major sentenced to death for a 2009 shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas that killed 13 people, according to reports on October 8. A Kyodo report carried by the Tokyo Shimbun cited the Associated Press quoting a Pentagon official, and the Mainichi Shimbun cited CNN. AFP said a Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told it the execution "will be livestreamed" and that details would be announced later. The execution is scheduled for December 3. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
President Trump approved the execution by firing squad, which Sankei said was made public on the 5th. According to Kyodo, the acting secretary of the Army announced on X on the 6th that the execution would be carried out at Fort Hood, where the shooting took place. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video posted on the Pentagon's official X account that Hasan would "of course be executed by a firing squad made up of soldiers" and that the execution would be carried out in public, AFP reported. Speaking aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec, Hegseth said people need to understand that such acts carry serious consequences. Sankei reported that Hegseth said he would make the execution viewable by everyone because the crime was grave. [ 4 , 5 ]
Hegseth said it would be the first firing-squad execution by the US military since World War II, referring to Eddie Slovik, who was executed by firing squad in 1945 for desertion, AFP reported. In another video, asked by Posobiec what Hasan's last wish was, Hegseth replied: "I don't care. See you on December 3." The last execution by the US military was in 1961, when John Bennett was hanged for rape and attempted murder, according to AFP. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Hasan, a Muslim who was an Army psychiatrist, carried out the shooting in November 2009, killing 13 people including fellow soldiers, and a military court jury sentenced him to death in 2013. Sankei cited Reuters as saying Hasan described the attack as retaliation for US wars in the Islamic world, while the Mainichi said he was reportedly influenced by Islamist extremist ideology and opposed the US deployment to Afghanistan. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Kyodo said criticism that the plan lacks regard for human rights is inevitable. The Mainichi said the plan effectively treats the death penalty as a spectacle and is likely to draw severe criticism on humanitarian grounds. Sankei said the specific method of streaming is unknown. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
Why it matters
Kyodo and the Mainichi Shimbun said the plan is likely to draw criticism on human rights and humanitarian grounds, with the Mainichi saying it effectively treats an execution as a spectacle. It would be the first execution by the US military since 1961 and, according to Hegseth and CNN, the first military firing squad since World War II.
Key facts
- A Pentagon official said the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan will be livestreamed, according to AP and AFP; CNN also reported the plan. [ 3 , 4 , 6 ]
- Hasan, a former Army major and military doctor, killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- A military court sentenced him to death in 2013. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- The execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood. [ 3 , 5 ]
- President Trump approved the execution by firing squad. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution would be carried out in public by a firing squad of soldiers. [ 4 , 5 ]
- The last execution by the US military was in 1961. [ 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Pentagon plans to livestream Hasan's execution by firing squad, according to reports. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Hasan killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- The execution is scheduled for December 3. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- Trump approved the execution by firing squad. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- The execution will be carried out at Fort Hood. [ 3 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- How the execution will be streamed. Sankei said the specific method of streaming is unknown, and the Pentagon official quoted by AFP said details would be announced later.
- Whether the livestream plan has been formally announced. The reports rest on unnamed Pentagon officials, and several Japanese outlets framed the plan in their headlines as reported rather than confirmed.
- Hasan's motive. Sankei cited Reuters as saying he described the attack as retaliation for US wars in the Islamic world; the Mainichi said he was reportedly influenced by Islamist extremist ideology and opposed the US deployment to Afghanistan.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Nishi-Nippon Shimbun publishes a headline saying the US may livestream a former major's firing-squad execution (October 9). [ 2 ]
- Tokyo Shimbun carries a Kyodo report citing AP and a Pentagon official on the livestream plan. [ 3 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan carries an AFP-Jiji report quoting a Pentagon official and Hegseth. [ 4 ]
- Sankei Shimbun reports the plan, noting the streaming method is unknown. [ 5 ]
- Mainichi Shimbun reports the plan, citing CNN. [ 6 ]