The firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people in 2009, will be livestreamed to the public, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed.
The Pentagon announced the execution will take place at Fort Hood on 3 December, with Hegseth stating it will be "public". Speaking to the conservative TV outlet Real America's Voice News on Wednesday, Hegseth said: "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public."
Conviction and attack
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring a further 32 in a shooting at the military base in 2009. The Defence Secretary spoke to the outlet aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier while visiting the long-deployed crew, who supported the Iran war, ahead of their return to their home port in San Diego.
When asked whether Hasan had made any final requests or had contact with the Trump administration, Hegseth replied: "Don't care. We'll see him on December 3rd."
Pentagon confirms broadcast
Pentagon officials confirmed on Thursday that the execution will be broadcast via live stream, with further details yet to be released. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell had stated on Monday that President Donald Trump had approved Hasan's execution. The White House on Thursday directed questions regarding the live stream plans to the Pentagon.
Survivor reaction
Retired Staff Sgt Alonzo Lunsford told America's Newsroom he intends to watch the execution of the officer who shot him 15 years ago. Lunsford stated: "You live by the sword, you die by the sword. And the way that he went about doing his deed was a coward's way because we didn't have any way to defend ourselves that day."
Lunsford sustained multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head. He believes witnessing the execution could help unite survivors and bereaved families. "It's for two reasons. One is to give the families of the deceased a chance to close a chapter and also the survivors to close a chapter," Lunsford said of the execution. "And it sends a clear message that we will not stand for this activity in any of our armed services or in the United States."
The US military has not carried out an execution of a service member by firing squad since the Second World War. The most recent military execution took place on April 13, 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was put to death by hanging.
