Firing squad and a live broadcast: As midterm elections approach, Washington stages the execution of Nidal Hasan
The US Department of Defense has announced that Nidal Hasan, convicted for the 2009 Fort Hood terrorist attack, will be executed by firing squad on December 3. The execution will be broadcast live, marking a significant departure from modern US judicial practices.
Why it matters
The decision to use a firing squad and live-stream the execution raises major ethical and legal questions regarding the US justice system.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump addresses reporters at the White House in Washington on October 6, 2026. TOM BRENNER/AP The United States is set to turn back the clock by 90 years. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Thursday, October 8, that Nidal Hasan, the man responsible for the terrorist attack at Fort Hood in Texas, would be executed by firing squad on December 3. The last public execution in the US took place in 1936 in Kentucky. But this one will be broadcast live on the internet.
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