Just nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNardine SaadandMadeline Halpert
Bell County Sheriff’s Office / ReutersUS President Donald Trump has called off plans to livestream the execution of former US army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan by firing squad.
Trump had previously said he approved of showing online the death of the Fort Hood attacker, while Vice-President JD Vance cast doubt on whether it would happen and said he would not watch it.
As criticism over the public display mounted, Trump said on Thursday that “many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die”.
“I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan,” Trump said.
“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,” the president added.
Hasan fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers at a military base in Texas in 2009, injuring another 32. His execution by firing squad will be the first military execution in more than 60 years.
Trump said the execution can be viewed in person by the families of the victims.
“They deserve to witness JUSTICE!” Trump said.
The Pentagon announced last week it would execute Hasan on 3 December 2026 by firing squad.
Hegseth then said the execution would be livestreamed for the public to watch, adding that “people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things”.
Trump had signaled last Friday that he approved of the plan, calling Hasan “totally nuts” and adding: “I really don’t care how he goes, as long as he goes, and I think that the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him.”
United StatesUnited States Army2009 Fort Hood shootingCapital punishment
