US announces public firing squad execution for Fort Hood shooter in historic first

• Nidal Malik Hasan will be executed by firing squad on December 3 at Fort Hood for the 2009 mass shooting that killed 13 people.

• US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the execution will be made public so people can see the consequences of such crimes.

• The execution will be the first US military firing squad execution since World War II.

• Hasan was convicted in 2013 of 13 murders and 32 attempted murders after attacking soldiers preparing for deployment to Afghanistan.

The United States is preparing for something it has not done in decades, and this time, officials say the public will be able to witness it.

Former US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the man behind the deadly 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, is set to be executed by firing squad on December 3, in what will become the first military firing squad execution since World War II.

Speaking during an interview with conservative podcaster Jack Posobiec aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the execution would not be hidden from public view.

“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth said.

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He did not explain exactly how the execution would be made available to the public.

The Pentagon announced earlier this week that President Donald Trump approved the recommendation for Hasan to be executed by firing squad after Hegseth backed the method. Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle fixed the execution for December 3 at 2 p.m. EST (1 p.m. CDT) at Fort Hood.

Hegseth also revealed some of the plans for the execution, saying it would deliberately happen at almost the same time of day as the 2009 attack.

“A Thursday, we’re going to do it at one o’clock, which is when he did it, and it’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad.”

Hasan was convicted in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder after opening fire inside the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Texas.

On November 5, 2009, he shot soldiers who were preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. As people ran for safety, prosecutors said Hasan chased some of them outside the building before eventually exchanging gunfire with police officers, who shot and arrested him.

During his court-martial, Hasan admitted he deliberately targeted soldiers deploying to Afghanistan because he believed they were heading to fight in what he described as an "illegal war."

The upcoming execution is historic for the US military. The last American service member executed by military authorities was Army Private John A. Bennett, who was hanged in 1961 after being convicted of rape and attempted murder while stationed in Austria.

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The last military execution by firing squad happened even earlier. Army Private Eddie Slovik was executed in France on January 31, 1945, after being convicted of desertion during World War II.

Hegseth said he supports bringing back what he described as the wartime mindset of that era.

“I like the mentality we had in World War II, which was win. Which was understand when the enemy attacks you, you stand your ground.”

Hasan's execution is expected to draw significant attention, not only because of the method but also because it marks the return of a punishment the US military has not used in more than 80 years.