Pentagon plans to livestream firing-squad execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan, officials say

The US Defense Department plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, officials have said. The officials are not named in the reports reviewed by Vocemundi. A Defense Department official told the BBC that the execution would be livestreamed. Reuters attributes the information to a Pentagon official and calls it what would be an unprecedented move.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview with the conservative outlet Real America's Voice that the execution would be public. Hasan is to be executed by firing squad on 3 December at Fort Hood, Texas. The BBC attributes the date and location to the secretary of the US Army. Other outlets attribute them to Hegseth.

The Pentagon announced this week that President Donald Trump had approved the execution, following a recommendation from Hegseth. The BBC and France 24 attribute the announcement to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, on Monday.

It would be the first US military execution in more than 60 years. The last was in 1961, when an Army private was hanged.

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people at Fort Hood on 5 November 2009. The shooting took place in a medical building where soldiers were waiting for processing before deployment. A court-martial convicted him and sentenced him to death in 2013. According to the Guardian, he exhausted his appeals last year.

The reports do not describe how the livestream would work, including the platform or who controls the feed. According to France 24, Pentagon officials said more details would follow. The White House referred questions to the Pentagon.

What is disputed

• The BBC says all 13 dead were soldiers. Le Monde says 12 were.
• The BBC says Hegseth spoke on Thursday. France 24 and the South China Morning Post say Wednesday.
• Hegseth said Barack Obama called the attack "workplace violence". The Guardian reports there is no record of Obama using the phrase.
• The Guardian gives the execution time as 1pm, with no time zone. The Verge gives 2PM ET.

What each side says

Hegseth called the shooting a radical Islamist attack. The Guardian quoted him as saying: "we'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public, because people need to understand there's serious consequences for these types of things". Asked whether Hasan had made a final request, he said: "Don't care. We'll see him on December 3."

Experts on military law cited by France 24 said Hasan could file a habeas petition in civilian court, which could significantly delay the execution. Eugene R. Fidell of Yale Law School said, according to France 24: "It frankly might outlast the current administration, and who knows if the next one will have the same penchant for executions".

At his court-martial, Hasan said he had acted to protect Muslims or to stop US soldiers deploying to Afghanistan to kill Muslims. The reports do not include a response from Hasan or his lawyers, or reactions from victims' families.

Analysis

The plan raises questions that the reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not answer. They do not describe the legal basis for broadcasting a military execution or how a stream would be produced and distributed. Online platforms contacted by The Verge had not responded. Supporters of the decision may see it as transparency and accountability. Critics may question the purpose of broadcasting an execution. The timeline is also uncertain. Military law experts cited by France 24 say a habeas petition could delay the execution, possibly for a long time. Whether the 3 December date holds may depend on any such filing, which the reports do not mention.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.