Fort Hood attacker's execution by firing squad will be livestreamed, Pentagon says
BBC News 2026-10-08 22:21:56
Context: The US Pentagon has announced that Nidal Hasan, a former US Army major who fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009, will be executed by firing squad on December 3. The execution will be livestreamed, with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stating that the public needs to understand the serious consequences of such actions. This will be the first military execution by firing squad since the end of World War Two.
Key Facts
- Nidal Hasan, a US Army psychiatrist from Virginia, killed 13 unarmed US soldiers and injured 32 others in a shooting at Fort Hood in Texas on November 5, 2009.
- The execution of Hasan will take place at Fort Hood in Texas on December 3, and will be carried out by a firing squad of soldiers.
- The Pentagon had not carried out an execution in over 60 years, with the last military execution by firing squad taking place in January 1945.
- US President Donald Trump approved the recommendation for the execution to be livestreamed, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stating that the public will be able to watch it to understand the consequences of such actions.