The execution of the former Army major who opened fire and killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009 is scheduled to be broadcast live.
KTLA reported on the 8th that the Department of Defense plans to carry out the execution by firing squad of mass shooter Nidal Malik Hasan at the Fort Hood base on December 3 and broadcast the process live.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated in an interview with the political opinion media outlet ‘Human Events Daily’, “We will make the execution process public so people can see it,” adding, “They need to know that such crimes come with serious consequences.”
According to Secretary Hegseth, the execution is scheduled to take place at 1 PM at the Fort Hood base where the incident occurred. He explained that the execution schedule was determined by comprehensively considering the time and location of the crime.
Hasan opened fire at a medical facility inside the Fort Hood base on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people including soldiers and injuring 32 others. At the time, Hasan, an Army major and psychiatrist, infiltrated a facility where soldiers preparing for deployment to Afghanistan had gathered and opened fire.
At the time of the crime, it was reported that he shouted “Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest)” in Arabic and fired a pistol equipped with a laser sight. He later claimed he committed the crime to prevent US soldiers deploying to Afghanistan from killing Muslims.
Hasan was found guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder in a 2013 military court martial and sentenced to death. President Donald Trump finally approved the execution on the 5th.
If carried out as scheduled, this will be the first U.S. military execution in 65 years, since 1961. The last military execution was the hanging of Army Private John Bennett in April 1961. Limited strictly to a firing squad, it is a measure taken for the first time in 81 years, since 1945.
Broadcasting the execution process live is an unprecedented measure, and controversy surrounding public executions is intensifying.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis stated via social media X that while he agrees with the execution of Hasan itself, making it public and broadcasting it live is inappropriate. He emphasized that public executions are something that happens only in authoritarian countries like Iran or Afghanistan and should not be tolerated in the United States.
Meanwhile, the specific live broadcasting method for the execution has not yet been decided, and details will be announced later.
