Hegseth says firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter will be livestreamed

Hegseth says firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter will be livestreamed Trump’s defense secretary wants to ‘make sure that people are able to watch’ the ‘public’ killing of Nidal Malik Hasan - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Donald Trump’s administration has announced that the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad will be livestreamed. In an interview with right-wing activist Jack Posobiec on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said 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.” “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.” The Pentagon later clarified that the execution will be livestreamed. Hasan is scheduled to be killed December 3, marking the U.S. military’s first execution by firing squad since 1945, part of a renewed push by the president to restart federal executions and turn to methods such as firing squads as well as nitrogen gas and electrocution to carry out sentences quicker. “Judgment day for Hasan has finally come,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X earlier this week following Trump’s approval of the killing. Asked on Thursday whether Hasan made any final requests or reached out to the Trump administration, Hegseth said: “Don’t care.” “We’ll see him on December 3,” he said. Hasan was convicted by a military jury on 45 counts of murder and sentenced to death in 2013. Hasan, who was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan at the end of 2009, admitted responsibility for the shooting and said he believed was on the wrong side of a war against Islam. He was left partially paralyzed after he was 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 carries out the killing, Hasan will be the first person killed by a military firing squad since January 31, 1945, when Army Private Eddie Slovik faced 12 riflemen from his own unit. During Trump’s first term, the federal government executed 13 people, the most under any president in more than 120 years, and a streak that resumed after a 17-year hiatus. Before he left office, Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 people awaiting executions on federal death row, leaving death sentences in place for only three men. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the previous administration “failed in its duty to protect the American people” and took “extraordinary steps to weaken, delay, and dismantle the death penalty.” This is a developing story Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments