U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Thursday that the execution of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood attack, will be carried out by firing squad on December 3 and will be public and livestreamed.

Hasan is set to be executed at Fort Hood by a squad of soldiers armed with rifles. Hegseth said the public will be guaranteed the ability to witness the procedure, justifying the decision by saying it must be known that such acts have serious consequences.

The Pentagon has not yet specified how public access will work—whether there will be spectators at the base or another mechanism. Hegseth also did not detail how many soldiers will make up the firing squad or how they will be selected.

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The execution is set for December 3rd, 1:00 p.m. at Fort Hood, where Hasan carried out the attack on November 5, 2009. When asked about a possible final request from the condemned man or contact with U.S. President Donald Trump, Hegseth said he was unconcerned and that it would be seen on December 3.

The execution of Nidal Hasan by firing squad will take place at Fort Hood, Texas on Thursday, December 3rd, 2026, at 1 p.m. CT. pic.twitter.com/re7BpqkSN4

— Acting Secretary of the Army (@SecArmy) October 7, 2026

The execution, approved by Trump on Hegseth’s recommendation, will be the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first by firing squad since 1945. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was found guilty in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder for the attack, which left 32 wounded.

According to specialists, Hasan could choose to resist the execution and file a habeas corpus petition in a civil court, which could significantly delay the execution.

Eugene R. Fidell, a visiting professor at Yale Law School specializing in military law, said it could last longer than the current administration and that it was unknown whether the next would share the same inclination for executions.

Elisabeth Semel, co-director of the Death Penalty Clinic at UC Berkeley School of Law, said Hegseth’s announcement raises legal and public policy questions, including concerns about the dignity of the accused, who will be able to witness, and what the Trump administration has in mind in opting for an unusual spectacle. While there has been a long debate about televising an execution, Semel said she did not recall any situation where it was instigated by the government, which she said raises serious questions about the government’s motivation.

Referring to Trump, she said this is a president who focuses on spectacle and that is precisely the message he intends to convey.

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