US plans live broadcast of Nidal Hasan firing squad execution

The United States plans to execute former army officer Nidal Hasan by firing squad and broadcast the execution live, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced.

Hasan was convicted of murder for shooting dead 13 unarmed soldiers at the Fort Hood military base in 2009.

A US Department of Defence official confirmed to the BBC that the execution will be broadcast live, potentially marking the first public execution in the United States in nearly a century. However, the plan faces legal hurdles, and Hasan's appeal process remains incomplete.

In a recent interview with conservative news outlet Real America's Voice, Hegseth stated that the public needs to witness the gravity of such actions. He confirmed that the execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, following approval from President Donald Trump.

Under US military law, a military execution requires presidential authorization alongside final legal clearances from higher courts.

The 2009 Fort Hood shooting stands as the deadliest non-combat attack on a US military installation. Hasan, a former army psychiatrist from Virginia, admitted to the attack in court, claiming his actions were intended to protect Muslims and Taliban forces in Afghanistan.

If carried out, this will be the first US military execution since 1961, when a soldier was executed for rape, and the first military execution by firing squad since January 1945, when Private Eddie Slovik was executed for desertion during World War II.

Uncertainties remain regarding which media platform will carry the execution. Major social networks—including Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and X—maintain strict policies prohibiting graphic violence, death scenes, or live execution broadcasts.

The execution remains contingent on the resolution of ongoing legal appeals and technical broadcasting arrangements.

-SA