US executes Fort Hood terrorist by firing squad, live

In an extraordinary move, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved the execution by firing squad of a Palestinian-American terrorist who murdered 13 people at Fort Hood army base in Texas.

The Pentagon announced overnight Thursday that the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, who carried out a shooting rampage at the base in 2009, will be broadcast live. Hasan, a US-born Muslim of Palestinian origin, killed 13 people and wounded 32 others, nearly all of them soldiers.

Hegseth, who led the push to execute Hasan by firing squad, said Thursday that he intends to make the execution a public event. "We're going to make sure people can watch it, that it's public," Hegseth declared. "Because people need to understand there are serious consequences for acts like this."

Asked about the decision to use a firing squad, he replied: "We haven't done this since World War II. I kind of like the approach we had in World War II, a victory approach. The understanding that when the enemy attacks you, you have to stand firm."

The execution is scheduled for December 3.

Under US military law, the president must approve any execution by firing squad. The Pentagon revealed Monday that President Donald Trump had done so on Hegseth's recommendation.

This marks the first time since World War II that the US military will execute someone by firing squad.

Hasan carried out the attack on November 5, 2009. He entered a medical clinic at the sprawling base, which then served as a staging point for soldiers preparing to deploy to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. He pulled out two handguns and several magazines he had prepared in advance, then opened fire on soldiers waiting for medical examinations and vaccinations, shouting "Allahu Akbar."

The massacre was the deadliest shooting at a US military installation on American soil since the country's founding. Hasan managed to kill 13 people, including 12 soldiers, and wound 32 others before a civilian police officer responding to the scene neutralized him with gunfire. The shots left Hasan paralyzed from the waist down.