US President Donald Trump has reversed plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former US Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people and wounding dozens of others in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting.
Trump announced the decision on Thursday in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying Hasan would still be executed by firing squad as scheduled, but the event would not be broadcast live.
The president said he initially believed livestreaming the execution could deter terrorism by showing how the United States deals with terrorists. However, he acknowledged that many people would prefer not to watch the execution.
Hasan’s execution is scheduled for December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas. Trump added that the immediate families of the victims would be allowed to witness the execution in person.
The reversal followed reports that Trump and his advisers had been debating whether to abandon the livestreaming plan announced by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth the previous week. According to reports, Trump had not initially been aware of Hegseth’s announcement and was uncertain about the proposal, although he supported the decision to execute Hasan by firing squad.
The initial plan to livestream the execution attracted bipartisan criticism and reportedly caught officials across the Pentagon and the US Army off guard. Public opposition was also substantial, with an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released on Thursday finding that 80 per cent of US adults, including 64 per cent of Republicans, opposed livestreaming the execution.
Hegseth had recommended execution by firing squad, a decision Trump approved. The planned execution would be the US Army’s first execution of a soldier by firing squad since World War II and the first time the military has imposed the death penalty on a service member in 65 years.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that Trump and Hegseth had discussed the decision before the announcement, adding that the defence secretary supported the president’s position and that both were “completely aligned.”
Boluwatife Enome
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