Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan to face firing squad execution on Dec. 3, livestreamed
The Pentagon confirmed the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will be livestreamed on 3 December. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people at the Texas base in 2009.
Pentagon to livestream firing squad execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan
The Pentagon has confirmed that the firing squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, will be livestreamed, pbs.org reports. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the announcement on Wednesday during an appearance on conservative outlet Real America's Voice News, stating the execution is scheduled for 3 December at Fort Hood.
"We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public," Hegseth said.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell had confirmed on Monday that President Donald Trump approved the execution. Officials clarified on Thursday that the event would be livestreamed, with further logistical details to follow. The White House referred all questions on the matter to the Pentagon.
Hegseth made his comments aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier while visiting the crew, who had supported operations related to the Iran conflict before docking at their home port in San Diego. When asked whether Hasan had submitted any final requests or made contact with the Trump administration, Hegseth replied: "Don't care. We'll see him on December 3rd."
The 2009 attack
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist holding the rank of major, opened fire inside a medical building at Fort Hood on 5 November 2009, where soldiers were queuing for immunisations and medical clearance ahead of deployment. He shouted "Allahu akbar" before firing a laser-sighted handgun. Thirteen people were killed and 32 others wounded.
Investigators subsequently established that Hasan had spent weeks planning the attack. His preparation included having a sales clerk demonstrate magazine changes on the pistol he had purchased, and visiting a shooting range outside Austin where he sought instruction on rapid reloading. Soldiers who testified at trial said his speed in reloading made it nearly impossible to stop the attack. Investigators recovered 146 shell casings inside the building and additional casings outside, where Hasan had fired at soldiers fleeing towards the car park.
At trial, Hasan acted largely as his own counsel and made minimal effort to mount a defence. He told jurors that evidence would confirm he was the shooter and described himself as a soldier who had "switched sides." He stated the attack was intended to prevent soldiers from deploying to Afghanistan and fighting Muslims. A military judge barred him from presenting that argument as a formal defence.
Legal challenges possible
Military law experts noted that Hasan retains the option to file a habeas petition in civilian court, which could substantially delay the execution. Eugene R. Fidell, a visiting lecturer at Yale Law School specialising in military law, said the process "frankly might outlast the current administration, and who knows if the next one will have the same penchant for executions."
First military execution since 1961
Hegseth stated the military has not carried out an execution by firing squad since World War II. The last military execution took place on 13 April 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was executed by hanging.
Trump has previously criticised public executions conducted by Iran. In remarks to reporters on 14 January, he said: "We've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping. It's stopping and there's no plan for executions." He repeated the claim at a White House press briefing on 20 January and referenced the issue again in his State of the Union address, saying: "We stopped them from hanging a lot of them with the threat of serious violence."
Source: Times of Malta