Fort Hood, Texas – On Dec. 3, 2026, the U.S. government plans to take former Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan to a firing range at Fort Hood for execution by firing squad, with a live‑stream available to the public.
Survivor’s perspective
Alonzo Lunsford, a former Army staff sergeant who was shot seven times by Hasan during the 2009 attack, says he wants Hasan executed and is prepared to watch the execution himself. Lunsford, who now coaches basketball and mentors youth, told Fox News Digital that his faith compels him to forgive Hasan, but forgiveness does not preclude punishment.
“The weird thing about it, I’ve forgiven him because my faith does not allow me to heal and continue unless I forgive that man,” Lunsford said. “But I don’t want this to become a spectacle. There’s nothing glorified in the smell of human flesh, blood and gunpowder. It’s a taste you will never forget.”
Official statements
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the decision to make the execution public, arguing that Americans need to understand the consequences of Hasan’s crimes. “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand that there are serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth said.
Vice President JD Vance expressed uncertainty about whether the Pentagon will follow through with the livestream, noting he has no intention of watching it himself.
Political and religious reactions
Even some Republicans who support the death penalty object to the livestream. Rep. Austin Scott (R‑Ga.) wrote on X, “I absolutely support the sentence of death, but live‑streaming executions is what jihadists do. America is better than that.” Sen. Thom Tillis (R‑N.C.) called the idea “beyond disgusting,” likening it to public executions in oppressive dictatorships.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also condemned the plan, with Archbishop Paul S. Coakley calling it a “barbaric promotion of a culture of death” that would undermine the nation’s moral fabric.
Security concerns
Matthew Levitt, a former Treasury counter‑terrorism official, warned that broadcasting Hasan’s death could provide terrorist groups with propaganda material. “It seems like a poor decision to provide terrorist groups with a video clip they can splice into radicalization propaganda,” Levitt said.
Personal closure
Lunsford hopes the execution will give him a chance to confront Hasan one last time. “I want to look him in the eyes, man to man,” he said. “My message to him: Dude, you failed. I want him to have the opportunity to apologize and repent before he dies.”
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
