The execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of the Fort Hood massacre in Texas, is generating controversy over the planned method and the Pentagon's decision to broadcast it live.
The former U.S. Army major was sentenced to death for killing 13 people during a shooting on November 5, 2009.
The execution is scheduled for December 3, 2026, and the Army has confirmed that Hasan will be executed by firing squad.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the procedure would be public, while the Pentagon later confirmed plans to livestream the execution, a decision that has raised questions about the limits surrounding military executions.
🚨 WOW! SecWar Pete Hegseth just announced the firing squad execution of Fort Hood Islamist terrorist Nidal Hasan will be **PUBLIC**
At the SAME time and place where Hasan carried out the attack.
«We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it. That it’s public. Because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things!»
«He’s gonna get a firing squad of soldiers. As it should be.»
@JackPosobiec: Did he make any final requests?
HEGSETH: «Don’t care. We’ll see him on December 3rd.» 🥶
Hasan murdered 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009 while yelling «Allahu Akbar» and wounded more than 30 others
He was sentenced to death in 2013 and then sat on death row for over a DECADE. The Acting Sec. of the Army made it official
The victims’ families finally get JUSTICE 🙏🏻
Our SecWar is stone COLD when it comes to traitors like this who take American lives.
@RealAmVoice
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 8, 2026
According to the information released, Hegseth said authorities would ensure that the public could observe Nidal Hasan's execution.
“We’ll make sure that people can see it, that it’s public,” the official said, according to the provided material.
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The Pentagon later confirmed that the execution is expected to be livestreamed, going beyond simply allowing observers to witness the procedure.
The use of a firing squad has also raised questions, as the method is exceptional within the U.S. penal system.
The Pentagon says the firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed after War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution would be “public.” https://t.co/zPDTO9jlKK https://t.co/kzqFrPPFmX
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) October 8, 2026
On November 5, 2009, Nidal Hasan opened fire on military personnel and civilians inside a processing center at Fort Hood, Texas.
The attack left 13 people dead and more than 30 injured, becoming one of the deadliest acts of violence ever carried out at a U.S. military installation.
Hasan worked as an Army psychiatrist and held the rank of major when he carried out the shooting near Killeen, Texas.
After being wounded and detained, he faced a military trial that concluded in 2013 with a guilty verdict and a death sentence.
“DON’T CARE”: Sec. Pete Hegseth gives a blunt response when asked whether Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan reached out to the Trump administration. This comes as the Pentagon vowed to livestream the execution. https://t.co/zPDTO9jlKK https://t.co/6pLH7LHWfX
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) October 8, 2026
The Army confirmed that the execution is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Central Time.
The execution will take place at Fort Hood after Donald Trump approved the death sentence on October 2, following the completion of the appellate process.
If carried out, it will be the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first execution by firing squad carried out by the Armed Forces since 1945.
The Pentagon also confirmed plans to livestream the procedure, although it has not yet specified which platforms will carry the broadcast.
The case may still face new legal challenges related to the execution, although the conviction and execution date have already received official approval.
The decision also reopens debate over the death penalty, the public broadcast of executions, and the treatment of victims.
For the families of the 13 people murdered, December represents a new judicial stage more than 17 years after the massacre.
Meanwhile, military authorities will have to specify the details of the broadcast and the conditions under which the sentence will be carried out.
Sources: Univision, El Heraldo de México.
