The planned public execution of former US Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan will be made available to watch, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said.
Hasan, a former major, was convicted over the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, in which 13 people were killed. President Donald Trump has authorised his execution by firing squad.
Speaking to broadcaster Real America’s Voice, Hegseth described the decision as a “no-brainer” and said the execution would be public.
“We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public,” he said. “Because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things.”
Hegseth said the execution was scheduled to take place at Fort Hood on December 3 at 1pm US Central Time, or 7pm GMT. The timing is the same as that of the 2009 shooting.
A Pentagon official said the execution would be “livestreamed”, although further details have not yet been announced.
It is unclear whether troops, spectators or US military officials will be present in person. US Army regulations state that at least two media outlets should be selected as witnesses.
Hasan was sentenced to death in August 2013 after a military jury found him guilty of 45 counts of premeditated murder and attempted murder.
He entered an army processing centre at the Texas base, shouted “Allahu akbar” and opened fire on military personnel waiting to receive medical attention.
The execution required approval from both Hegseth and Mr Trump, who authorised the use of a firing squad on Monday. The White House referred questions about Hegseth’s remarks, including whether Mr Trump would watch the execution, to the Pentagon.
No state or federal execution has ever been televised in the United States. The last public execution in the country took place in Owensboro, Kentucky, in 1936, while the last US military execution by firing squad was carried out in 1945 for desertion during the Second World War.
The Trump administration announced in April that firing squad executions would be permitted at federal level, alongside gas asphyxiation and electrocution.
