Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will be live streamed to the public. The Pentagon said the firing squad execution will take place at Fort Hood on December 3.
Hegseth: Execution 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." 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, before their arrival at their home port in San Diego.
When asked if Hasan had made any final requests or reached out to the Trump administration, Hegseth replied: "Don't care. We'll see him on December 3rd."
Pentagon confirms livestream plans
Officials in the Pentagon clarified on Thursday that the execution will be livestreamed and that further details would follow. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell had said Monday that President Donald Trump had approved the execution of Hasan. The White House on Thursday referred questions about the plans for the livestreamed execution to the Pentagon.
Survivor: 'Clear message'
Retired Staff Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford told America's Newsroom he is preparing to watch the execution of the man who shot at him 15 years ago. Lunsford said: "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 was shot several times and suffered from several gunshot wounds, including one in the head. He believes watching the execution could help bring together grieving families and survivors. "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."
Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a shooting at the military base in 2009. Hegseth added that the military has not executed a service member by firing squad since World War II. The last military execution took place on April 13, 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was executed by hanging.
