Donald Trump’s administration has announced that the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad will be livestreamed, an unprecedented broadcast for a state-sanctioned killing by one of the world’s most powerful democracies, reports BritPanorama.
In an interview with right-wing activist Jack Posobiec on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the execution of Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, was a “no brainer.” Hegseth emphasized that the event would be public, underlining the notion that there are serious consequences for such actions.
“He’s gonna get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be,” Hegseth said. “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.” A Pentagon official later clarified that details about the livestream will follow.
Hasan is scheduled to be executed on December 3, marking the U.S. military’s first execution by firing squad since 1945. This aligns with a renewed push by the president to restart federal executions and turn to methods such as firing squads, nitrogen gas, and electrocution to carry out sentences more swiftly.
“Judgment day for Hasan has finally come,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X earlier this week following Trump’s approval of the killing. When asked about any final requests from Hasan, Hegseth remarked, “Don’t care,” reiterating the set date for execution.
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who held the rank of major, was convicted by a military jury on 45 counts of murder and sentenced to death in 2013. He admitted responsibility for the mass shooting and was left partially paralyzed after being shot by police during his arrest.
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a death sentence imposed by court-martial may not be carried out “until approved by the president.” If the Pentagon proceeds with Hasan’s execution, it will be the first military execution by firing squad since 1945, when Army Private Eddie Slovik faced a similar fate.
The last military execution took place on April 13, 1961, involving Army Private John Bennett, who was hanged. Historically, public executions have become scarce in the U.S. as the legal system shifted towards what were deemed more “humane” methods of execution.
Preparation for Hasan’s execution coincides with discussions around the future of capital punishment in the U.S. During Trump’s first term, the government executed 13 people, the highest number under any president in over a century. In contrast, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates before taking office.
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice unveiled a plan to reinforce the death penalty, instructing the Bureau of Prisons to consider alternative execution methods including firing squads and electrocution. Despite arguments that the death penalty serves as a deterrent, evidence suggests that states employing capital punishment do not exhibit lower crime rates than those that do not.
At least five states still permit firing squads as an execution method, with South Carolina carrying out three such executions last year, the first in over a decade. Recent events, such as the painful execution of Mikal Mahdi by firing squad in April 2025, have raised concerns over execution methods and their implications for human rights.
The coming execution of Nidal Malik Hasan could reignite the debate surrounding capital punishment in the United States, specifically addressing its moral and practical ramifications.
