US government plans to livestream firing squad execution of 2009 Fort Hood shooter

The United States government has announced plans to livestream the December 3 execution of Nidal Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded dozens during a 2009 shooting spree at the Fort Hood military base in Texas. The execution is scheduled to be carried out by a firing squad, making Hasan the first person to face this method of death under the US military since 1945. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who confirmed the plan, stated that the execution will be public, marking an unprecedented use of live broadcasting for a state-sanctioned death penalty.

The proposal has drawn significant global and domestic criticism. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights labeled the plan a form of "abhorrent" public punishment, warning that it could constitute psychological torture. Domestically, the decision has divided political figures, with Republican Senator Thom Tillis calling the plan "abhorrent," and Vice President JD Vance expressing personal doubt about whether the broadcast will actually proceed. President Donald Trump has officially supported the use of a firing squad for Hasan, whom he described as a "maniac," but has refrained from directly commenting on the controversial livestream proposal.