Plan to publicly execute Ft. Hood shooter prompts debate

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday evening confirmed reports that the U.S. military planned to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan. The former Army major killed 14 people, including soldiers and an unborn baby, in a 2009 shooting attack at Fort Hood, Texas. His execution by firing squad is set for Dec. 3 and will take place at Fort Hood. Hasan previously admitted that his attack, which wounded 32 people in addition to those he murdered, was motivated by support for the Taliban.

Hegseth told a reporter Thursday that he decided to livestream the execution because people needed to know that actions like Hasan’s had serious consequences. Hasan betrayed his country and carried out a radical Islamist attack on fellow Americans, Hegseth said. Hasan is paralyzed from the waist down. It wasn’t clear if his disability would prompt modifications to standard procedure.

Hegseth’s plan may face legal challenges over the difficulty of enforcing execution rules while livestreaming Hasan’s death. For instance, the U.S. military’s rules for execution strictly bar minors from witnessing the execution.  The rules also require that at least two journalists must attend.

It was unclear if the Defense Department would host an official livestream of the execution. An independent media personality, Nick Sortor, said late Thursday that he planned to livestream the execution from his X.com social media account.

How are people reacting? The Thursday announcement kicked off a vigorous public debate. While many commenters on social media said they supported Hegseth’s decision and believed it was just, few public figures publicly agreed with it:

• The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Friday that a livestream would promote a culture of death and morally injure Americans.

• Several members of Congress also condemned Hegseth’s plan and drew parallels between it and public executions instituted by oppressive dictatorships.

• Pro-life advocate Lila Rose slammed the decision, writing online that an appetite for violence would be society’s downfall. Public executions treat violence as entertainment and corrupt the young and innocent, she said. They don’t teach respect for human dignity and God’s image, she said. She also argued that the decision played into Hasan’s desire to be a martyr.

• Political commentator Erick Erickson said that while he supported the death penalty, Christians should not take pleasure in death. The pagan Roman Empire and some Islamic governments held public executions, but Christians have long recognized the harms of such practices, he said.

• Right-wing media figure Laura Loomer said she believed Americans should rejoice in killing their enemies. She hoped the execution would be widely televised, she said.