The United States is preparing for an extraordinary event that has opened debate on the death penalty. The Pentagon has confirmed that the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former military psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood Base in Texas, will be broadcast live on December 3, 2026.
According to the Associated Press agency, the confirmation came Thursday, October 8th, after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said citizens should be able to see the execution.
Hasan will be executed by an American Army firing squad, a method that the army has not used since World War II.
In an interview conducted aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, Hegseth said the execution should be public so that people can understand the consequences of serious crimes.
CNN reports that Hegseth personally supported the use of the firing squad, while President Donald Trump has approved his recommendation.
The execution is scheduled for December 3rd, at 1: 00 p.m. local time in Texas, the same hour Hasan carried out the 2009 attack.
What happened at Fort Hood?
On November 5, 2009, Nidal Hasan, then major and psychiatrist of the American Army, opened fire on soldiers at a training centre at Fort Hood base.
The attack left 13 people dead and 32 injured, becoming one of the deadliest attacks within an American military base.
According to CBS News, Hasan accepted responsibility during the trial process. In 2013 a military court convicted him and sentenced him to death.
Why is this execution considered historical?
According to Axios, the last public execution in the United States took place in 1936 when Rainey Bethea was hanged in Kentucky State.
Meanwhile, the last execution by the American army occurred in 1961. If the decision against Hasan applies to the plan, it will be the first US military execution after more than 65 years.
The Associated Press reports that the Pentagon has confirmed direct transmission, but has not yet released the platform where it will appear or possible restrictions for viewers.
The decision has sparked discussions between legal experts and human rights organisations. Some view publication as a form of transparency, while others raise concerns about turning capital punishment into public spectacles.
For the Trump administration, the execution is presented as the completion of a long process of justice for victims of the Fort Hood massacre. But the way it will be broadcast can put it back into international debate the practice of the death penalty in the United States.
