Pete Hegseth says the public will witness the execution of the perpetrator of the Texas military massacre

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed Thursday that the execution of former Army Major Nidal Hasan will be public and will be carried out by a firing squad. The man sentenced to death is responsible for the 2009 attack at Fort Hood military base in Texas, where he killed 13 people and wounded 32.

According to the Associated Press, the Pentagon chief's statement implies that the procedure will include measures to ensure public access, such as a live broadcast or screened spectators on the base grounds.

An exemplary punishment set for December 3

The date set for the execution is December 3 at 1:00 p.m., a time that coincides with the exact moment Hasan began the mass shooting on November 5, 2009. The procedure will be carried out by a group of soldiers armed with rifles at the same military facility in Texas where the attack took place.

Hegseth justified the firmness of the decision by telling local media that the country and the Armed Forces must witness that acts of treason and terrorism entail "serious consequences." When asked if he was concerned about a possible final plea from the inmate or any last-minute efforts, the secretary replied emphatically: "I don't care. We'll see on December 3."

President Donald Trump explicitly approved the measure, following a formal recommendation from the secretary of defense. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell welcomed the confirmation of the proceedings, stating on social media that "the day of reckoning has finally come for Hasan."

A historic precedent in military justice

The case of Nidal Hasan represents a milestone in the U.S. military justice system. It will be the first execution carried out by the Armed Forces since 1961, and the first execution by firing squad in the military since the end of World War II in 1945.

Hasan, a former military psychiatrist from Virginia, openly admitted to opening fire on unarmed soldiers who were crowded into a medical center on the base awaiting pre-deployment checkups and vaccinations before being sent overseas.

During his court-martial in 2013, where he was found guilty of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder, the former officer justified his crime by claiming he was seeking to protect Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

The 2009 attack remains the deadliest massacre to have occurred within a military facility on U.S. soil outside of an active combat zone. Currently, the former major is one of four inmates on death row at the military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, awaiting execution.