Live execution in the USA. Pentagon reveals details

Execution in front of the public

Hegseth spoke about execution plans in an interview for the American station Real America's Voice. According to the head of the Pentagon, the execution of the sentence is to be public and its purpose is to show the consequences of the most serious crimes.

We'll make sure people can see it. We want the execution to be public because society must understand that such serious crimes have serious consequences, said Pete Hegseth.

A representative of the US Ministry of Defense confirmed to Reuters that the execution would be broadcast live. Details are to be presented at a later date.

When will the execution take place?

The execution date was set to reflect the circumstances of the attack on November 5, 2009. The sentence is to be carried out on Thursday at 1:00 p.m., which was approximately the same time that Nidal Hassan opened fire at Fort Hood. The execution is also to take place in the same place.

According to the information provided, US President Donald Trump approved the execution of the sentence at the request of the head of the Pentagon. In the American military legal system, execution by firing squad requires presidential consent.

Who is Nidal Hassan?

Nidal Hassan was a US Army major and military psychiatrist. On November 5, 2009, he opened fire on soldiers at the Fort Hood base in Texas.

While being detained, he was shot by the police and suffered partial paralysis. In August 2013, a military court found him guilty of a total of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder. He was sentenced to death.

During the trial, Hassan admitted his involvement in the shooting. He explained his actions with the desire to stop American troops from entering Afghanistan.

Shooting and public broadcast. A unique case

The execution of Hassan by firing squad would be the first such case in the US military since World War II - in 1945, Private Eddie Slovik, convicted of desertion, was shot in Europe.

The last execution based on the verdict of an American military court took place in 1961. The convict was hanged.

The announced live broadcast of the execution would also be unprecedented in recent US history. The last widely recorded public execution in the United States was carried out in 1936 in Kentucky.

The Trump administration is changing the rules

Hassan's case is part of broader changes regarding the use of the death penalty in the United States. According to the information provided, in April 2026, the federal administration expanded the catalog of permitted execution methods to include shooting, electric chair and gassing.

The US Department of Justice allegedly justified these changes by difficulties in accessing the funds used to carry out the death penalty by injection.

Final details about the planned execution and possible broadcast are to be announced by American authorities.