Firing squad execution to be live streamed by US government

The Pentagon has reportedly confirmed that the US's first execution by a military firing squad since World War II will be live-streamed for anyone to see.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution of US-born Nidal Malik Hasan will happen on December 3.

Hasan is convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 more in a shooting at the Fort Hood, Texas, military base in 2009 - which is also where the execution will take place.

Hegseth told conservative television station Real America's Voice News: "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public.

"People need to understand that there are serious consequences for these types of things."

Hegseth was asked in the interview whether Hasan had attempted to contact the administration, or requested anything, as his execution date approaches.

Hegseth replied: “Don't care. We'll see him on December third.”

A Pentagon official has said details of how to watch the live stream will be released soon, after Donald Trump approved the execution by firing squad this week.

 

 

 

 

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What did Nidal Hasan do?
 

Hasan was a US Army psychiatrist at the time he committed the mass shooting, and was sentenced to death by a military jury in 2013.

He represented himself at trial, calling no witnesses and giving no evidence.

He did admit in court documents that his motivation was to stop US soldiers from going to Afghanistan and “killing his fellow Muslims”.

The court heard he spent weeks planning the attack on the military base.

Hasan had video messaged a sales clerk to show him how to change the magazine on his gun, and went to a gun range, where he asked for advice on how to reload it quickly.

Soldiers testified that Hasan's rapid reloading was a key factor in them not stopping the assault sooner. 

Hasan, now 56, was at the time set to be deployed to Afghanistan just weeks later.