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Trump signs off on firing-squad execution of Fort Hood gunman; Pentagon plans Dec 3 livestream
The Pentagon confirmed it plans to livestream the Dec 3 firing-squad execution of 2009 Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan — the US military's first execution in 65 years. Trump confirmed his approval; bipartisan critics slammed the broadcast plan as 'beyond disgusting' and 'medieval'.
Why it matters
If it goes ahead, this would be the US military's first execution since 1961 and its first by firing squad since World War II — and the first official execution in American history to be broadcast live to the public, upending decades of keeping executions out of public view.
Full report
On November 5, 2009, then-Army Major Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30. A military jury sentenced him to death in 2013. Under military law, a military death sentence cannot be carried out until the sitting president personally approves it, which is why the case sat untouched for more than a decade.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced Monday that Trump had approved the execution following a recommendation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; acting Army Secretary Adam Telle set the date for December 3 at 1 p.m. Central Time at Fort Hood.
On Thursday, October 8, the Pentagon confirmed it plans to make the execution available for the public to watch live. 'We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public,' Hegseth said. Trump himself confirmed: 'Did I approve? Absolutely I did.' Vice President JD Vance cast doubt on whether the livestream would happen and said he would not watch.
The plan drew bipartisan backlash: Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called livestreaming it 'beyond disgusting,' Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy called it 'medieval,' and Republican Rep. Austin Scott said 'that's what jihadists do'; Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, also condemned it. The Pentagon has not released details such as the streaming platform, and the White House referred questions to the Pentagon.
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