Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday his support for a public execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted for the 2009 Fort Hood, Texas, shooting. Hasan’s crime resulted in 13 deaths and injuries to more than 30 people.
President Donald Trump has authorized Hasan’s execution by firing squad. The planned date is December 3.
“It’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad,”
Hegseth mentioned during an interview with Jack Posobiec of Real America’s Voice while aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. He emphasized that the execution will be public.
Details remain unclear about what constitutes a ‘public’ execution. Questions include whether the general public can attend or if the event will be livestreamed.
The last public execution in the United States took place in 1936. Rainey Bethea was hanged in Kentucky.
Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon for clarification. The White House directed inquiries to the Department of Defense and declined further comments.
John Galligan, a retired colonel and former military judge representing Hasan in civil matters, cited Army Regulation 190-55 regarding military executions.
“Specifically, it directs who is able to be present and that does not include the ‘general public’ — even the media is restricted,”
Galligan stated in an email to Newsweek, criticizing the statement as ill-informed.
This story is developing, and updates will be provided as new information becomes available.
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