The execution of US Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan by firing squad is expected to be broadcast live, a Pentagon official said, after US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared that the punishment would be carried out publicly.
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people in a shooting at Fort Hood, a US military base, in 2009. His scheduled execution would be the first by the US military since 1961 and the first by firing squad since World War II.
“It will be livestreamed. More details to follow,” the Pentagon official told AFP on Wednesday.
Hegseth said in a post on X that Hasan would face a military firing squad, as he should, adding that the public would be able to watch the execution.
“People need to understand the serious consequences for things like this,” Hegseth told social media personality Jack Posobiec while aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
In a separate video clip, Posobiec asked the Pentagon chief whether Hasan had made a final request.
“Doesn’t matter. We’ll see him on December 3, 2026,” Hegseth replied, referring to the date Hasan is scheduled to be executed.
The last execution carried out by the US military took place in 1961, when John Bennett was hanged after being convicted of rape and attempted murder.
According to Amnesty International, at least 17 executions were carried out in 2025, including six in Afghanistan and 11 in Iran.
The Death Penalty Information Center said 135 US service members had been sentenced to death by the military since 1916.
