When the news of Nidal Hassan’s execution by firing squad was revealed at the U.S. Pentagon, it sparked strong opposition.
Hassan is a former Army Major who was convicted for shooting 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. A Republican senator described this plan as "disgusting," while critics warned that this action could encourage more terrorist acts.
On Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Peter Hegeseth announced that the execution scheduled for December 3 will be televised online. Hegeseth told "Real American Voices" that the execution will be conducted publicly, "because people need to understand that such actions have serious consequences."
Pentagon spokesman Sean Pennelly said that the plan proposed by Heggseth and approved by President Trump will be carried out by the Army Execution Squad.
According to the Associated Press, during a political event in Texas on Wednesday, Trump supported the execution by firing squad for Hassan, saying that it was 'what he deserved'.
However, when asked on Friday whether he wished to live-stream the execution process, Trump did not make a clear statement. Before traveling to Syracuse, New York, to attend a political event, Trump told reporters, "Well, they are making a decision on this matter."
However, he once again expressed his support for carrying out executions by shooting.
Trump told reporters, "He will be executed. He will be shot by the execution squad. I really don’t care how he dies, as long as he is executed. I believe that death penalty is a very appropriate outcome for him."
When asked whether he would watch the execution live, Trump did not answer.
Vice President Wan Zhe said: “I don’t know whether this incident will really happen.” However, Wan Zhe then tried to shift the topic away from the public execution plan that sparked controversy and emphasized that people should not forget about Hassan’s crimes.
Wanis said, “Therefore, regardless of the controversy surrounding the method of execution, I hope people will not forget that this person brutally killed many innocent people.”
He added, “However, that being said, I mean that if live streaming is actually done in the end, I won’t watch it.”
Wanxu later converted to Catholicism, and the Catholic Church has long been opposed to the death penalty.
Retiring Republican Senator Tom Tiddles described this decision as "extremely disgusting." Tiddles had previously voted in favor of Hagel being appointed as Secretary of Defense, but now he regrets his previous decision.
Tilise wrote on social platform X: "Hassan should be sentenced to death, but executed in public with live television coverage? That's disgusting. Public executions are things that countries like Iran and Afghanistan, which have oppressive dictatorships, do. Such things shouldn't happen in the United States."
Rep. Austin Scott from Georgia wrote on X: “I fully support the death penalty, but live executions are something only jihadists would do. The United States should not do such things.”
Republican Senator John Curtis from Utah urged Hagersey to reconsider this decision.
He wrote on X: "Seneca warned that bloody public executions in Rome could corrupt the minds of those who witnessed them. When a civilization develops a habit of treating execution as entertainment, that civilization will gradually decline. Minister Haggess’ plan to broadcast the execution of the gunman in Fort Hood may encourage such a habit. Victims deserve justice to be carried out in a solemn manner. Broadcasting someone’s death undermines our civilization and is not an effective deterrent. I urge him to reconsider."
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said that public execution is "medieval."
Murphy said in an interview with CNN: “This is disgusting. How, is he imitating the methods of execution used by the ‘Islamic State’? I mean, I know that the United States has the death penalty, but public executions are medieval practices. Frankly, this is one of the reasons we hate terrorist organizations. And yet, the United States is doing this too—it’s unbelievable and outrageous. Whether you support or oppose the death penalty, public executions? Has America really become like this?”
Biden administration spokesperson Ned Price said that publicly executing and live-streaming executions would create more "radicalized fanatics."
Price wrote on X: “You can hear what we, who have worked in counter-terrorism for many years, have to say: The most effective way to create more extremists is to glorify violence, worship death, and create a martyr for some cause. Or, you can look at the ‘Al Qaeda’ and the ‘Islamic State’; their methods are closest to Hagesser’s proposal today. In any case, it’s hard to find a clearer example of his signature kind of showy bravado. This behavior continues to damage America’s image, and in this case, it puts us in even greater danger in a terrifying way.”
Former U.S. Army Sergeant Alaric Lunsford was shot seven times in the Fort Hood shooting incident, but he survived. He expressed his support for the execution by a firing squad. However, Lunsford believed that this execution “was not something to be used for entertainment.”
He told the BBC radio: “I personally do not agree with showing the entire process to the public without any obstruction, but this matter does not depend on my personal opinion.”
Although Lunsford expressed concerns about live executions, this former U.S. Army sergeant said he would be present at the execution site.
He told the BBC: “I will go to the scene to see for myself. Before they pull the trigger, I want him to look me in the eyes, and I want to look into his eyes. I want to let him know: ‘Man, you failed, but I’m still alive.’”
According to CBS, Paul S. Corekley, president of the United States Catholic Bishops Conference, issued a statement on Friday morning, urging the Pentagon to reconsider this plan.
Archbishop Kocley cited Deuteronomy 12:17 from the Bible to say, “Hassan’s actions cannot be pardoned. However, this decision must be reconsidered since it promotes a culture of death in a barbaric manner. God’s words warn us: ‘Do not take revenge, do not bear a grudge against one of your own people.’ Even the public execution of someone who has committed serious crimes will only further undermine the moral foundation of our country and become a stain on the conscience of its citizens.”
Supportive of the death penalty, conservative talk show host Eric Erickson also said that broadcasting a public execution of Hassan would provide him with a "platform to fulfill his desire for martyrdom."
Eriksen wrote: "Hassan is paralyzed from the lower body and can only sit in a wheelchair. The public, seeing a execution squad shoot someone who is unable to stand and has to sit in a chair, will weaken their support for the death penalty. This scenario could also occur to Hassan in a society that increasingly seeks reasons to sympathize with criminals. It would also provide Nidal Hassan with the martyrdom stage he desires. People in the Middle East will spread this live execution video, encouraging more terrorists to shoot at Americans, in order to celebrate Nidal Hassan's martyrdom."
Jeffrey Cohen, a law professor at Texas Tech University who once worked at the U.S. Army Criminal Court, told CBS News that the plan to broadcast the execution "raised significant moral issues, which go beyond the general controversies surrounding the death penalty itself."
He said: “Executing a death sentence usually requires following certain procedures, and there must be restrictions on the number of people who can observe the scene. Those allowed to watch typically include people who have a close relationship with the victim, as well as some media personnel.”
Cohen said: “Turning the execution of capital punishment into some kind of public spectacle reminds us of those histories that we seem to have left behind long ago.”
The last public execution in the United States occurred in 1936, about 90 years ago. At that time, Renny Baceshian was executed by hanging in Kentucky for rape. It is reported that approximately 20,000 people attended the execution.
When Hagee announced this plan, Democratic and Republican congressmen Thomas Mace was pushing for his impeachment. Since House Speaker Mike Johnson decided to cancel the House votes one day before the midterm elections, the impeachment vote against Hagee was postponed.
