Pentagon to Livestream Execution of Fort Hood Gunman in First Public US Military Firing Squad in Nearly a Century
Developing story first seen 38 minutes ago
The US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced that the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former Army major convicted of killing 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, will be made public. The execution is scheduled to take place by firing squad, with the Pentagon indicating the event will be livestreamed rather than restricted to in-person attendance.
If carried out as planned, the execution would mark the first public execution in the United States in nearly 100 years and the first military firing squad execution since the Second World War. Hegseth's statement emphasises the government's intention to publicly demonstrate the consequences of attacks on service members, signalling a significant departure from the closed nature of modern US executions.
- Nidal Hasan, Fort Hood shooter who killed 13 soldiers in 2009, is scheduled for execution by firing squad
- Pentagon will livestream the execution, making it the first public US execution in nearly a century
- First military firing squad execution since WWII; Pentagon cites public accountability for attacks on service members
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Nidal Hasan is a former Army major who was convicted of a mass shooting that killed 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, a major US military installation in Texas, in 2009. He was sentenced to death for the killings. The attack was one of the most deadly incidents on a US military base.
The scheduled execution is significant because the Pentagon plans to livestream it, making it publicly viewable rather than restricted to in-person witnesses. If carried out as planned, this would be the first public execution in the United States in nearly 100 years and the first military firing squad execution since the Second World War. The move represents a departure from modern practice, which has typically kept executions private.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Proponents of public execution argue that democratic accountability requires transparency in how the state exercises ultimate punishment, particularly in a high-profile case involving attacks on military personnel. Livestreaming demonstrates that justice is carried out lawfully and provides deterrence against similar attacks, whilst allowing the public and families of victims to witness justice served rather than having it occur behind closed doors.
The case against
Opponents contend that public executions violate fundamental principles of human dignity and align poorly with modern human rights standards embraced by most developed democracies. They argue that livestreaming transforms state punishment into spectacle, risks psychological harm to viewers, and normalises public violence—concerns that are ethically distinct from questions about whether execution itself is justified.
Coverage
- Daily Mail — Hegseth says Hasan’s scheduled execution will be made public
- BBC World — Fort Hood shooter’s execution by firing squad will be livestreamed, Pentagon says