U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that the Pentagon will no longer livestream the scheduled execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, reversing an earlier decision following widespread criticism from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, religious leaders and the public. Hasan, a former U.S. Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3.
Trump defended the death sentence but acknowledged concerns about broadcasting the execution, saying that while a public display could serve as a deterrent, many people would not want to witness it. He confirmed that immediate family members of the victims would still be permitted to attend in person. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had previously supported broadcasting the execution to demonstrate the consequences of terrorism, endorsed the president’s reversal following discussions between the two officials.
The original livestream proposal drew criticism from Vice-President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson and religious leaders, including Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Critics warned that broadcasting an execution could encourage radicalization and undermine ethical standards surrounding capital punishment. Republican Senator John Curtis welcomed the cancellation, describing it as the appropriate decision.
Hasan was convicted in 2013 for the November 5, 2009, attack at the Fort Hood military installation, where he opened fire on military personnel preparing for deployment. He was subsequently sentenced to death and remains paralyzed from the waist down after being shot by law enforcement during the attack. His scheduled execution would mark the first U.S. military execution by firing squad in more than six decades, although further legal proceedings could potentially delay the sentence.
