Hasan Execution Plan Sparks Livestream Controversy

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, will be made available for the public to watch. Speaking to Real America’s Voice interviewer Jack Posobiec, Hegseth described President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize execution by firing squad as a “no-brainer” and said people should see the consequences of such crimes. Hegseth stated that the execution is scheduled for December 3 at 1pm US Central Time at Fort Hood, matching the time of the original shooting. A Defense Department official told Al Jazeera that the execution would be livestreamed, although further details were not yet available. It remains unclear whether people will attend in person or whether Hegseth meant public access would be through a broadcast. US Army regulations require at least two media outlets to be selected as witnesses. Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013 after a military jury found him guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder. In 2009, he entered an Army processing centre at Fort Hood, Texas, and shot fellow military members who were waiting for medical attention. The article places the planned execution in historical context: no state or federal execution in the United States has ever been televised, and the country’s last public execution occurred in 1936 in Owensboro, Kentucky. The last US military firing-squad execution was in 1945, for desertion during World War II. The White House directed questions about Hegseth’s comments and whether Trump would watch to the Pentagon. The Trump administration announced in April that firing squads, gas asphyxiation, and electrocution would be permitted methods for federal executions.

The Al Jazeera Newsfeed item reports that Donald Trump confirmed the planned execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist responsible for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, would be carried out by firing squad. It says the Pentagon described the execution as both public and livestreamed. The report also notes that the White House had not confirmed the Pentagon’s comments, leaving that statement unconfirmed in the article. Hasan killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others at the Texas military base in 2009. The article offers no additional details about when the execution might take place, the process behind the reported decision, or reactions from victims’ families, officials, or the public. It is a brief news update focused on the reported execution method and the differing status of the statements attributed to Trump, the Pentagon, and the White House. Because the item is concise, it provides no broader context about Hasan’s case or the use of firing squads. It was published on October 9, 2026.

The US Defence Department says the execution of former Army major Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, is planned to be livestreamed. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Hasan is scheduled to face a firing squad on 3 December at Fort Hood, Texas. The Pentagon says President Donald Trump approved Hegseth’s recommendation. If it takes place, the execution would be the first US military execution in more than 60 years and, according to experts cited in the article, the first livestreamed execution in the country. The proposed broadcast has drawn strong criticism. A UN human rights office representative said livestreaming would amount to a public execution and breach the prohibition of torture. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called the idea “disgusting,” while lawyer John Mills questioned its legality and said Hasan’s appeals are not exhausted. Mills expects a federal review could stay the execution and described the livestream proposal as attention-seeking. Alonzo Lunsford, a survivor who was shot seven times, supports execution by firing squad, which he considers fitting for the crime. He wants survivors and victims’ families to have the option to watch, but is concerned about young people seeing the broadcast. Lunsford plans to attend in person and says he wants Hasan to understand that he survived. Experts note that military execution rules generally restrict witnesses to certain groups, including journalists and relatives, and exclude people under 18. The Pentagon has not yet explained whether those restrictions would be changed or what safeguards would apply to a livestream. The article also places the proposal in the wider context of capital punishment: public executions are rare internationally, the last US military execution was in 1961, and the last US military firing-squad execution was in 1945. It notes that Trump overturned the federal execution moratorium established under Joe Biden and cites polling showing that 66% of Americans support executions for murder.

Alonzo Lunsford, a former US Army sergeant who survived the 2009 Fort Hood shooting after being shot seven times, supports executing gunman Nidal Hasan by firing squad but objects to making the execution available as a public livestream. Lunsford said the firing squad was “befitting” because he considered lethal injection and other methods too lenient. However, he questioned the message and impact of showing the execution uncensored, particularly to younger viewers. He believes survivors and victims’ families should be able to watch if they choose, and said he intends to attend in person and confront Hasan before the execution. Lunsford also said he had forgiven Hasan as a Christian, explaining that forgiveness was necessary for his own healing. He recounted the attack: Hasan, then an Army psychiatrist, opened fire on unarmed soldiers in a Fort Hood medical building on 5 November 2009, killing 13. Lunsford described being shot as he tried to reach an exit, playing dead, and then escaping with a wounded soldier. He recalled a pregnant woman’s final words after she was shot and criticized Hasan for attacking in a facility where personnel did not carry weapons. The Pentagon announced Hasan’s execution earlier in the week. If carried out, it would be the first US public execution in almost a century and the first military execution in more than 60 years. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said a livestream would let the public see the consequences of such a crime. But legal experts say court challenges could prevent the livestream or the execution from proceeding. Politicians from both parties have also objected to public executions, with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy calling the proposal “disgusting” and Republican Senator Thom Tillis comparing them to practices of oppressive dictators.

US Vice-President JD Vance has questioned whether the Pentagon will proceed with plans to livestream the scheduled firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded 32 in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. Vance said he did not know whether the livestream would happen and that he would not watch it. President Donald Trump later said he approved the plan, while the Pentagon maintained that a livestream was intended but said details were still being determined. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has argued that broadcasting the execution would make the consequences of such attacks clear to the public. The proposal has drawn criticism from both parties and from religious and human-rights groups. Republican Senator John Curtis warned that public executions can cultivate an appetite for violence as entertainment; Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called the idea disgusting. Republican Representative Austin Scott supported the death sentence but said livestreaming was associated with jihadists. Former national security adviser John Bolton also backed capital punishment while calling the broadcast unnecessary and criticizing Hegseth’s motives. Catholic bishops expressed sorrow, and the UN human-rights office said a livestream would amount to a public execution and breach the prohibition on torture. The article also explains that military executions require presidential approval and appellate review, and notes that public executions are rare internationally. It examines the practical question of where a broadcast might appear: major platforms prohibit graphic depictions of violence or death, though some policies include public-interest exceptions. The Pentagon has not provided further details, and the White House did not say whether it would use its social-media channels.

The article reports that the U.S. Department of Defense plans to livestream the Dec. 3 firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. Hasan, who is paralyzed and uses a wheelchair after being shot by responding police, would become the first person publicly executed in the United States in nearly 90 years. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the decision as a way to demonstrate consequences, but it has drawn bipartisan criticism. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called public executions characteristic of oppressive dictatorships, while Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International representatives condemned the practice and questioned its compatibility with human rights.

The article reports that the US military plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. The execution is scheduled for December 3 and is to be carried out by firing squad. Pentagon officials confirmed that it would be livestreamed, while saying that further details would be provided later. The announcement followed remarks by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said in a video posted by official Pentagon accounts that Hasan would face a firing squad and that the public would be able to watch. Hegseth made the comments while speaking with right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. He said the public should understand that such acts have serious consequences, and also invoked a World War II-era “win” mentality. Hasan was sentenced to death by a military court in 2013. At trial, he said he carried out the shooting to protect Taliban members in Afghanistan from US troops. The article describes the planned execution as the first by the US military since 1961 and the first military firing-squad execution since World War II. It also notes that the announcement comes amid the fallout from the botched execution of Christa Pike, but provides no further details about that case. The report closes by noting that additional information about the execution is expected from Pentagon officials.

The Pentagon says the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, will be livestreamed on December 3. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the execution would be public in an interview with conservative outlet Real America’s Voice News, and Pentagon officials later confirmed the livestream, saying further details would be provided. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 at the Texas military base. Hegseth said he did not care whether Hasan had made final requests or contacted the Trump administration. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell previously said President Donald Trump had approved the execution. The article contrasts the planned public execution with Trump’s past condemnation of public executions in Iran, which he had cited in warnings to the Iranian government before the United States attacked Iran over its missile capabilities and nuclear ambitions. Military-law experts say Hasan could resist execution and seek a habeas petition in civilian court, potentially delaying the process long enough to extend beyond the current administration. Yale Law School lecturer Eugene R. Fidell noted that a future administration might take a different approach to executions. The article recounts the attack: Hasan entered a medical building where soldiers were waiting for deployment-related services, shouted “Allahu akbar,” and opened fire. Trial evidence showed that he had planned the attack and practiced reloading. Hasan said he acted to prevent soldiers from deploying to Afghanistan and killing fellow Muslims, but the judge barred that argument as a defense. Hasan largely did not contest that he was the shooter, describing himself as a soldier who had “switched sides.” Hegseth said the military had not executed a service member by firing squad since World War II; the last military execution, by hanging, took place in 1961.

The article reports that the US Department of Defense intends to live-stream the planned firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of a 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. The Pentagon’s announcement followed comments by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said the execution would be public so people could witness the consequences of such crimes. Hasan’s execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, according to Hegseth. The article describes the case as the first US military death sentence since 1961. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in the shooting at the Texas military base. Hegseth made his remarks during an interview with Real America’s Voice News on Wednesday. He was speaking aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier while visiting its crew, which the article says had been deployed for an extended period and supported the Iran war, ahead of the ship’s return to its home port in San Diego. The report focuses on the administration’s stated plan for public access to the execution and the rationale offered by Hegseth. It does not provide further detail about how the live stream will be made available, nor does it include responses from Hasan, victims’ families, or other officials. The article is attributed to the Associated Press and presents the announcement and background in a concise news-reporting style.

The article reports that US President Donald Trump has ordered the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, and that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says the execution will be carried out by firing squad on December 3 at Fort Hood and livestreamed. Hegseth said the public should be able to watch because people need to understand the consequences of such acts. A Pentagon official confirmed to Reuters that the execution would be livestreamed, with further details to come. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Trump approved the execution on Hegseth’s recommendation. Hasan killed 13 people—12 active-duty soldiers and one retired serviceman—and wounded others in a shooting at a medical centre on the Texas military base. The article gives the number wounded as 32 in some passages and 31 in the headline and image caption. Hasan was convicted by a military jury in 2013 on 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder. The attack took place weeks before he was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan; Hasan later described it as retaliation for US wars in the Muslim world. He was shot by police during his arrest and left partially paralysed and using a wheelchair. The planned execution would be the first US military execution since 1961, when a serviceman was hanged, and the first military firing-squad execution in decades. The article says the Trump administration expanded federal execution methods to include firing squad, electrocution and gas asphyxiation, in part because lethal-injection drugs have become difficult to obtain and executions using them can be problematic. It also cites a recent botched lethal-injection attempt in Tennessee involving death-row inmate Christa Pike, who survived and later regained consciousness. The article explains that military death sentences require presidential approval under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It also notes that at least five states authorize firing squads and that South Carolina carried out the first such US execution in 15 years in 2025. Death Penalty Action criticized Trump’s decision, while the Death Penalty Information Centre provided historical context on military executions.

The Pentagon plans to livestream the December 3 firing-squad execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 at Fort Hood in 2009. The execution is scheduled at the Texas military base where the attack took place. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has backed making it public, arguing that viewers should understand the consequences of such crimes. President Donald Trump authorized the execution on Hegseth’s recommendation, as required under US military law. If carried out, Hasan’s execution would be the first by a US military firing squad since 1945. The article also describes it as a striking return to public execution: the last legally sanctioned public execution in the United States was in 1936. Reuters reported that experts knew of no other country currently livestreaming a legally sanctioned execution. The broadcast plan has prompted legal and ethical questions. Military law expert Eugene Fidell said Hasan might seek to delay the execution through a habeas petition in civilian court and would need to sue in federal court to try to block the livestream. The Supreme Court has not directly ruled on livestreaming executions. Elisabeth Semel of UC Berkeley Law questioned the effects on Hasan’s dignity, who would be permitted to watch, and the administration’s purpose, characterizing the proposal as a spectacle. The plan comes amid renewed scrutiny of capital punishment after a botched lethal injection in Tennessee and continuing difficulties in some states obtaining execution drugs and willing medical personnel. The article notes that at least five states permit firing squads, South Carolina conducted a firing-squad execution in 2025, and the Trump administration has expanded federal execution methods to include firing squads, electrocution and gas asphyxiation. It remains unclear whether Hasan will challenge the execution.