Hegseth says firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter will be ‘public’
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the execution of Nidal Hasan, the perpetrator of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, will be carried out by a firing squad and livestreamed to the public. The decision aims to demonstrate the severe consequences for such crimes.
Why it matters
The decision to livestream a military execution is a highly controversial move that raises significant ethical and legal questions regarding transparency and state-sanctioned violence.
An official at the Pentagon told Al Jazeera that former US Army Major Nidal Hassan’s execution would be ‘livestreamed’.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said the public execution will underscore the 'serious consequences' for crimes like the 2009 Fort Hood shooting [File: Alex Wroblewski/AFP] By Evan Semones Published On 8 Oct 2026 8 Oct 2026 United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the execution of a former US Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas will be publicly available to watch.
In an interview with the media outlet Real America’s Voice on Thursday, Hegseth was asked about President Donald Trump’s recent order to use a firing squad to execute Nidal Hasan, who was convicted of the 2009 shooting.
The secretary said he approved of the decision, calling it a “no-brainer”.
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10 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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