Washington — Pentagon to Livestream Fort Hood Killer's Execution

Nidal Hasan, the former Army major who killed 13 unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Dec. 3, and the Pentagon says the execution will be livestreamed to the public, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said this week, according to the BBC. A Defense Department official told the BBC the broadcast would mark what is believed to be the first public execution in the United States in almost a century.

Who is Nidal Hasan and what did he do at Fort Hood?

Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist from Virginia, admitted fatally shooting 13 unarmed soldiers in a crowded medical building at the Fort Hood base in Texas in 2009, the BBC reported. Among the wounded was then-Sergeant Alonzo Lunsford, who was shot seven times and survived. Lunsford told the BBC's Today programme he plans to attend the execution and wants Hasan to "look him in the eyes" beforehand. "I want him to know he failed," Lunsford said. "I'm still here."

How will the livestream execution work?

The Pentagon announced this week that Hasan's death will be the first US military execution in more than 60 years, according to the BBC. Hegseth, speaking to the conservative outlet Real America's Voice, said Hasan was "gonna get a firing squad of soldiers — as it should be." Asked whether Hasan had made any final requests or had reached out to President Donald Trump, Hegseth said: "Don't care. We'll see him on December 3rd." A Pentagon spokesperson said Monday that Trump had approved Hegseth's recommendation to carry out and livestream the execution. The BBC said it asked the White House directly whether Trump supports a publicly livestreamed execution; the outlet did not report a response.

Why do legal experts call this 'uncertain legal terrain'?

John Mills, a lawyer who works with death-row inmates, told the BBC the decision to livestream the execution is "unprecedented in the modern era" and sits on "uncertain legal terrain." Hegseth, for his part, framed the broadcast as a deterrent message: "People need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things," he said, according to the BBC. Neither the Pentagon nor Hegseth has cited a specific statute or military regulation authorizing a public livestream of a federal execution, and the BBC's reporting does not identify one.

What objections have been raised, and by whom?

The United Nations human rights office told AFP, as cited by the BBC, that livestreaming the execution would be "tantamount to a public execution and would breach the absolute prohibition of torture." Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told CNN the plan was "disgusting" and compared it to executions carried out by the Islamic State group, the BBC reported.

Lunsford's view is more layered. He told the BBC he supports Hasan's execution by firing squad as a method "befitting" the crime, but he said he does not believe the broadcast should be open to the general public because of the message it might send to younger viewers. He drew a distinction for those most affected by the attack: "As far as the families of the fallen and the families of the survivors, and the survivors themselves, yes, I think we should be able to look at it uncensored," he said.

Has the US carried out public executions before?

The BBC's reporting places the Fort Hood case against a global backdrop. Citing Amnesty International, the broadcaster said more than 2,700 executions took place across 17 countries last year, but only two nations — Iran and Afghanistan — carried any out publicly. Amnesty International recorded 11 public executions in Iran in 2025 and six in Afghanistan, according to the BBC. If the Dec. 3 broadcast goes forward as planned, it would be the first public execution on US soil in roughly 100 years, based on the BBC's characterization of the decision as unprecedented in the modern era.

What remains unresolved, per the BBC's reporting, is the legal basis for the livestream itself. Mills' comment that the move sits on "uncertain legal terrain" suggests the question of whether a public broadcast of a federal execution can proceed without specific statutory authorization has not been tested in court. The BBC noted it had sought comment from the White House on whether Trump personally backs a public livestream, a question that, as of the BBC's reporting, had not been answered on the record.

For now, the scheduled date stands: Dec. 3, at Fort Hood, with Hegseth telling reporters simply, "We'll see him on December 3rd."