Who is Nidal Hasan? What to know about US plans to livestream an execution online

October 10, 2026

The U.S. Department of Defense has announced plans to livestream the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood military base in Texas in 2009. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated the online broadcast is intended to serve as a deterrent against future attacks, though the plan has drawn widespread criticism from across the political spectrum. If carried out as scheduled on December 3rd, this would mark the first time a U.S. execution has been broadcast publicly.

Who is affected

Nidal Hasan (former U.S. Army Major scheduled for execution)
The 13 soldiers who were killed and 32 who were injured in the 2009 Fort Hood attack
Families and relatives of the victims
Survivors of the attack, including Alonzo Lunsford (former U.S. Army sergeant shot seven times)
John Galligan (Hasan's civilian lawyer)
Children and young people who could potentially access the livestream
The general public who would have access to view the execution online

What action is being taken

The U.S. Department of Defense is planning to livestream Nidal Hasan's execution by firing squad scheduled for December 3rd
President Donald Trump is making a determination about whether to approve the plan
John Galligan is advising Hasan as his civilian lawyer

Why it matters

This would be the first-ever broadcast of a U.S. execution, representing an unprecedented shift in how capital punishment is conducted and viewed in America. The decision raises significant legal questions about compliance with military regulations that currently restrict execution witnesses to specific categories like journalists and relatives, and explicitly exclude people under 18. The livestream has drawn criticism across the political spectrum due to concerns about preventing minors from viewing graphic violence, the message it sends to young people, and comparisons to public executions that are only known to occur in two countries worldwide (Iran and Afghanistan). The case also highlights tensions between using executions as public deterrents versus maintaining standards for how such punishments are administered in democratic societies.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC