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Friday, 9 October 2026dailybeirut.com
World
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s execution will be public and livestreamed, marking the first U.S. military death penalty since 1961.
A public viewing of the upcoming firing-squad execution for former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan has been confirmed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The announcement details the timing and location of what will be the first U.S. military capital punishment carried out in more than six decades.
Hegseth stated during an interview with MAGA influencer Jack Posobiec that making the event visible to the public is intended to demonstrate "serious consequences" for such acts. According to HuffPost, the Defense Secretary expressed enthusiasm for the plan, asserting that viewership would serve as a deterrent. "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," Hegseth said.
The remarks were made aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln following its return from a record 10-month deployment. Hegseth described the decision to proceed with the execution as a "no-brainer." He linked the choice of venue directly to Hasan’s crimes, noting the betrayal of his military oath. "Army major betrays his country, radical Islamist, kills a bunch of Americans at Fort Hood ― of course we’re going to do it at Fort Hood," Hegseth explained.
President Donald Trump approved the firing squad sentence on Monday. The execution is scheduled for Dec. 3, a date Hegseth referenced when telling Posobiec, "We’ll see him on Dec. 3." The event will take place at Fort Hood, Texas, the site of the 2009 shooting rampage that killed 13 people.
Hegseth specified that the procedure will occur at one o’clock in the afternoon on a Thursday, mirroring the time of Hasan’s original attack. He added that soldiers armed with rifles will carry out the firing squad. The Pentagon later confirmed on Thursday that the execution would be livestreamed, establishing it as the first publicly broadcast military execution in modern American history.
