Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on Thursday his desire for the execution of Nidal Hasan, the convicted Fort Hood shooter, to be accessible to the public. This event could mark the first public execution in the United States in almost 90 years.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was found guilty of killing 13 individuals and injuring over 30 in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. President Donald Trump has authorized his execution by firing squad, scheduled for December 3.
Hegseth mentioned in an interview with Jack Posobiec from Real America’s Voice aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, “It’s going to be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad. We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public.”
The term “public” remains undefined by Hegseth, leaving ambiguity whether the general public can physically attend or if the execution might be broadcasted online.
The last known public execution in the U.S. was the 1936 hanging of Rainey Bethea in Kentucky.
Newsweek has sought further details from the Pentagon. The White House has not commented, directing inquiries to the Department of Defense (DOD).
John Galligan, a retired colonel and former military judge who has represented Hasan in civil cases, pointed out that Army Regulation 190-55 specifies approved witnesses at military executions. According to Galligan, “It directs who is able to be present and that does not include the ‘general public’ — even the media is restricted.”
He expressed his view in an email to Newsweek, indicating that Hegseth’s remarks may reflect a lack of awareness of these regulations.
Updates will follow as this story develops.
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