The Pentagon said Thursday that the Dec. 3 firing squad execution of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed, turning what would be the first U.S. military execution in more than six decades into a broadcast event. Officials said further details are coming.

The clarification followed remarks by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who told a conservative network Wednesday that the public would be able to watch and that the proceeding would be open. The White House sent questions about the plan to the Pentagon. The Army announced this week that the execution will take place at Fort Hood, the Texas base where Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 32 in November 2009.

Legal experts split on the plan

Specialists in military and capital punishment law offered sharply different views. Deborah Denno of Fordham University said broadcasting an execution could bring more openness to a system under scrutiny after the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee. Elisabeth Semel of UC Berkeley's Death Penalty Clinic pointed to open questions about the defendant's dignity, who may watch, and why the government would choose a spectacle. She said she could not recall a government pushing for such a broadcast before.

Brenner Fissell of Villanova Law noted that firing squads are increasingly viewed as a faster alternative as states struggle to obtain lethal injection drugs. He argued the choice also reflects the military image the Pentagon wants to project.

How the case reached this point

President Donald Trump approved the sentence Monday on Hegseth's recommendation, according to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. Army policy generally requires an execution to occur between 60 and 150 days after presidential approval. The Trump administration added the firing squad to its list of approved federal execution methods in April. Four men, Hasan among them, currently sit on the military's death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Hasan, 56, an Army psychiatrist at the time, was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder in 2013. He represented himself, called no witnesses and made no closing argument, leading his standby lawyers to conclude he wanted a death sentence. The last military execution was a hanging on April 13, 1961. The last known military firing squad execution dates to 1945.

Disputes over counsel and possible delays

Attorney John Galligan, a former military judge who has represented Hasan in civil matters, said no defense lawyer was present when the prison commandant told Hasan of Trump's decision. He called that a violation of Army rules. An Army spokeswoman said officials made reasonable efforts to reach Trial Defense Service lawyers and that Hasan has not been blocked from contacting counsel.

Hasan could still file a habeas petition in civilian federal court, which experts say might stall the execution for years. Yale's Eugene Fidell said such a delay could outlast the current administration. Whether Hasan will fight the sentence remains unclear.

Next checkpoint

What to watch

Pentagon details on the broadcast, Army selection of media witnesses, any habeas filing by Hasan, and whether the Dec. 3 date holds.

Evidence

Sources and editorial notes

Reporting was checked against Associated Press coverage, Pentagon statements relayed by spokesman Sean Parnell, and additional reporting on the Army's execution timeline and Hasan's case history. Expert views are attributed to the individuals quoted.

Spot an error? Read our corrections policy.

Nidal HasanFort Hoodfiring squadmilitary executionPentagon livestream