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US to Livestream Hasan's Execution by Firing Squad
Confirmed
In Short: The execution, set for December 3, will be the first military execution since 1961 and the first by firing squad since World War II.
On November 5, 2009, Army Major Nidal Hasan walked into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, shouting 'Allahu Akbar,' and opened fire on unarmed soldiers preparing to deploy, leaving 13 dead and 32 wounded.
Hasan, now 56, was convicted of premeditated murder in 2013 and sentenced to death through the Army court system.
The execution, set for December 3, will be the first military execution since 1961 and the first by firing squad since World War II.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended that Hasan be executed by firing squad, emphasizing the need for serious consequences for such acts.
The Pentagon announced that the execution will be livestreamed, a move that has raised legal and public policy questions.
At his court-martial, Hasan admitted to the shooting and said he carried it out in support of the Taliban.
The military called nearly 90 witnesses, but Hasan did not call a single person to testify in his defense and made no closing argument.
Legal experts say Hasan could resist execution and file a habeas petition in civilian court, potentially delaying the process.
Hegseth stated, 'We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public,' emphasizing the transparency of the process.
Deborah Denno, a death penalty expert, said livestreaming an execution could make the process 'much more transparent' and inform the public about capital punishment.
However, Elisabeth Semel, co-director of the Death Penalty Clinic at UC Berkeley Law, raised concerns about the dignity of the defendant and who would be eligible to view the execution.
What this adds
The shooting occurred weeks before Hasan was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan.
Background
President Donald Trump has approved the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter, by a U.S. Army firing squad, the Pentagon announced Monday night.
What's confirmed
- On November 5, 2009, Army Major Nidal Hasan walked into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, shouted "Allahu Akbar," and opened fire on unarmed soldiers preparing to deploy.
- It will be the first military execution since 1961, and the first by firing squad since WW II.
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended that Hasan be executed by firing squad.
- The Army announced this week that the execution would take place at Fort Hood on Dec. 3 after Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a shooting at the military base in 2009.
- “We’ve been told that the killing in Iran is stopping,” Trump told reporters on Jan. 14.
- Hegseth, speaking to the conservative television outlet Real America’s Voice News on Wednesday, said the execution of Hasan will take place at Fort Hood on December 3.
- Hegseth, speaking to the conservative TV outlet Real America's Voice News on Wednesday, said, "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public." Officials in the Pentagon clarified Thursday that the execution would be livestreamed and that more details would follow.
- Deborah Denno, a death penalty expert and law professor at Fordham University, said livestreaming an execution could make the process "much more transparent" and inform the public about all that capital punishment entails.
- The U.S. will livestream the Army’s upcoming firing squad execution on December 3 of Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in a 2009 shooting spree, a Pentagon official said, in what would be an unprecedented move.
- Hegseth said 'We'll make sure that people are able to watch it', according to reports Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan’s execution by firing squad will be streamed live, the Pentagon has confirmed.
What's still developing
- Hasan later told the court he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
- The next job is to stop commissioning the next Hasan, and to stop pretending we cannot tell the difference.
- Hasan’s attack left 13 dead and numerous others wounded as he shouted, “Allahu Akbar,” while committing the atrocity.
- The shooting came weeks before Hasan, now 56, was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan.
- Last month, the U.S. government launched the 24/7 YouTube livestream "Trump TV" after it banned journalists from the White House.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier told the Human Events Daily podcast he planned to make Hasan’s execution public, according to video of his comments posted on social media on Thursday.
- Hasan was arrested after he was shot at the scene and has been held in detention at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
- Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell had said Monday that President Donald Trump had approved the execution of Hasan.
- FROM THE ARCHIVES | Fort Hood Shooter Wants To Become A 'Citizen' Of ISIS The White House on Thursday immediately referred questions about the plans for the livestreamed execution to the Pentagon.