The Pentagon confirmed on October 8, 2026, that it will livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army major and psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009.
Execution date and method set
Hasan is scheduled to die by Army firing squad on December 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. local time at Fort Hood, Texas – the same base, day of the week and approximate hour of his attack.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended the method and President Donald Trump approved it. A Pentagon official told reporters: “It will be livestreamed. Details will follow.”
Hegseth said the event would be public “because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”
Historic firsts
This would mark the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first by firing squad since 1945. No legal execution in the United States has ever been televised or livestreamed. The last public execution in the country occurred in 1936.
The 2009 attack
On November 5, 2009, Hasan opened fire with a laser-sighted handgun inside a medical readiness center where soldiers were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. He killed 13 people and wounded 32 others while shouting “Allahu Akbar.”
A military jury convicted him in 2013 and sentenced him to death. His appeals ended when the Supreme Court denied review in 2025.
Background and reaction
Investigators found Hasan had exchanged emails with radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki before the attack. He later described the shooting as an effort to stop U.S. soldiers from fighting in Muslim countries.
The decision to livestream the execution has drawn both support from victims’ families and criticism over its unprecedented nature. Further details on how the public will access the stream are expected soon.
