The United States will livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed in an interview with the Human Events Daily podcast on Thursday.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, will be executed by firing squad, a decision Hegseth called a “no brainer” while speaking aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
“An army major betrays his country, through radical Islamism. Kills a bunch of Americans at Fort Hood, of course we’re going to do it at Fort Hood,” the defense secretary added, referring to the location of the public execution.
Hegseth continued, stating that the execution will take place on a Thursday at 1 p.m., matching the approximate time, day of the week, and location of Hasan's shooting.
First firing squad execution since World War II
“It’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad,” he said, adding that Hasan is set to become the first person executed by firing squad by the US military since 1945, shortly after the end of World War II.
“We’re going to make sure people are able to watch it. That it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”
When asked whether Hasan had made any final requests or reached out to US President Donald Trump, Hegseth responded, “I don’t care. We’ll see him on December 3.”
Found guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder
A military jury sentenced Hasan to death in August 2013, after finding him guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder for opening fire with a laser-sighted handgun in a medical facility at the sprawling central Texas military base.
The shooting came weeks before Hasan, now 56, was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan. He was left partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair from being shot by police during his arrest.
Under US military law, a US president must approve an execution by firing squad. President Donald Trump did so on Hegseth's recommendation, the Pentagon disclosed on Monday.
The White House declined to say whether Trump supported the livestreaming, referring questions to the Pentagon.
The group Death Penalty Action, which opposes capital punishment, said Hasan's execution would be the first military execution since 1961.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, the 1961 execution was carried out by hanging.
The last known executions by US military firing squads were in 1945, the center reported.