Pete Hegseth Advocates for Public Execution of Fort Hood Shooter

On October 8, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced his desire for the execution of Nidal Hasan, the convicted Fort Hood shooter, to be accessible to the public. This could mark the first public execution in the United States in nearly 90 years.

Hasan, who was a former Army psychiatrist, was found guilty of killing 13 people and injuring over 30 others during the 2009 attack at Fort Hood, Texas. President Donald Trump has slated Hasan’s execution by firing squad for December 3.

Hegseth, in conversation with Jack Posobiec of Real America’s Voice on the USS Abraham Lincoln, stated, “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.” However, details of what “public” entails are unclear, including whether the general public would attend in person or if the event would be streamed online.

The last widely acknowledged public execution in the U.S. was Rainey Bethea’s hanging in Kentucky in 1936. Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon for further details, but the White House declined to comment and redirected inquiries to the Department of Defense (DOD).

John Galligan, a retired colonel and former military judge who has represented Hasan in civil matters, emphasized that Army Regulation 190-55 specifies who can witness military executions. Galligan explained, “It directs who is able to be present and does not include the ‘general public’ — even media access is limited.”

This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.