Pentagon Plans to Livestream Firing Squad Execution of Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan on December 3

The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday, October 8, 2026, that the scheduled execution of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad will be livestreamed for the public. Hasan was convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others. The execution is set for 1 p.m. local time on December 3 at Fort Hood in Texas, the same base where the shootings occurred and at the same hour Hasan opened fire.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated in an interview aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln that Hasan would face “a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be,” and that the execution would be public “because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.” A Pentagon official later confirmed the livestream plan. Hegseth said the event would be carried out by soldiers with rifles. President Trump approved the recommendation for a firing-squad execution earlier in the week. Trump said on Friday that he believed Hasan deserved the firing-squad sentence but did not address the livestream specifically.

The last U.S. military execution by firing squad was that of Private Eddie Slovik for desertion in 1945. Public executions in the United States largely ended nearly a century ago. Releasing video of executions is more commonly associated with non-state groups. The Death Penalty Information Center noted that no regulation or precedent exists for livestreaming a state-sanctioned execution and that Hegseth’s comments might remain aspirational until formal procedures are established. Legal observers described the plan as unprecedented in the modern era and on uncertain legal ground.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted by court-martial in 2013. During the proceedings he said he believed he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan. He has indicated in the past that he hoped to die in the incident and preferred execution if found guilty. When asked whether Hasan had made any final requests, Hegseth replied, “Don’t care. We’ll see him on December 3.”

The decision has drawn criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Some argue that a public livestream risks turning the execution into a spectacle and could encourage copycat or martyr narratives. Others support the transparency as a demonstration of consequence for mass killings of service members. The Pentagon has not yet released technical details on the platform, access controls, or any restrictions on recording or redistribution of the stream. Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle set the December 3 date.

The announcement arrives amid broader debate over execution methods. South Carolina has used firing squads three times in the past year, the first such state executions since 2010. A recent botched lethal injection in Tennessee has also intensified discussion of alternative methods. Hasan’s case is the first military death sentence to reach an execution date in decades. The livestream, if carried out as described, would be the first time the U.S. government has broadcast an execution in real time to the public.

Further details on the broadcast arrangements, any legal challenges, and the precise location within Fort Hood are expected in the weeks before December 3. The combination of a firing squad, a public livestream, and the return of the execution to the site of the original crime has made the scheduled event a focal point for arguments over punishment, transparency, and the appropriate limits of state-sanctioned death.