Trump Cancels Livestream of Fort Hood Attacker’s Execution by Firing Squad
US President Donald Trump has cancelled plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former US Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people during the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas.
Trump announced the decision on Thursday, October 15, following widespread criticism of the Pentagon’s plan to broadcast the execution publicly.
The execution is still scheduled for December 3, 2026, and is expected to be carried out by firing squad at Fort Hood, now known as Fort Cavazos. However, the public will no longer be able to watch the procedure through a livestream.
Trump said the immediate families of the victims would be allowed to witness the execution in person if they wished.
The decision reverses an earlier announcement by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said the Pentagon intended to make the execution available for public viewing.
Trump Reverses Pentagon’s Livestream Decision
Trump confirmed the change in a statement posted on his Truth Social platform.
The president said he believed broadcasting the execution could serve as a deterrent by showing the consequences of terrorism. However, he acknowledged that many Americans did not want to watch someone die through a livestream or other visual broadcast.
Trump maintained that Hasan would still face execution as scheduled, but the event would not be streamed publicly.
The announcement followed several days of debate over whether the government should broadcast a military execution.
Hegseth had previously defended the proposal, arguing that a public broadcast would demonstrate the consequences of attacks against American service members.
However, the plan attracted criticism from politicians, religious leaders and human rights advocates. Opponents questioned whether broadcasting an execution was appropriate and warned that the footage could be used for propaganda.
Nidal Malik Hasan Was Convicted of Killing 13 People
Hasan was convicted of carrying out the Fort Hood shooting on November 5, 2009.
The former Army major opened fire inside a medical processing facility at the Texas military installation, where soldiers were preparing for deployment.
The attack killed 13 people and injured 32 others.
Hasan, who worked as an Army psychiatrist, was convicted by a military jury in 2013 and sentenced to death.
He was shot by law enforcement officers during the attack and was left paralysed from the waist down. He now uses a wheelchair.
The planned execution would be an exceptionally rare event in the US military justice system. The last execution carried out by the US military took place in 1961.
The use of a firing squad has also attracted attention because executions by this method are uncommon in the United States.
Bipartisan Criticism Over Public Execution
The decision to livestream Hasan’s execution triggered criticism from people across the political spectrum.
Some Republican lawmakers questioned whether the public broadcast was necessary, while Democratic politicians also raised concerns about the government’s plans.
Vice President JD Vance expressed reservations about the proposal. Religious leaders also criticised the idea, including Catholic officials who argued that broadcasting an execution would conflict with respect for human dignity.
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who leads the Catholic Church’s Archdiocese for the Military Services in the United States, urged Catholic military personnel assigned to a firing squad to seek exemption from participating.
Critics also warned that broadcasting the execution could provide extremist groups with material to promote anti-American messages.
Supporters of the original proposal argued that public access could increase transparency and demonstrate the consequences of serious crimes.
The disagreement placed the administration under pressure to reconsider how the execution would be conducted and communicated to the public.
Families of Fort Hood Victims May Attend
Although the livestream has been cancelled, Trump said the immediate families of the victims would have the option of attending the execution in person.
The decision allows relatives who wish to witness the event to do so under the applicable military procedures.
The administration has not announced any change to the planned execution date.
However, legal proceedings could still affect the schedule.
Execution Plan Renews Debate About the Death Penalty
The controversy has renewed debate about capital punishment and the role of public scrutiny in executions carried out by the state.
Supporters of the death penalty argue that it is an appropriate punishment for certain serious crimes. Opponents question its morality, fairness and effectiveness as a deterrent.
The proposed livestream added another issue to that debate: whether broadcasting an execution serves a legitimate public purpose or turns the punishment into a spectacle.
Trump’s latest announcement settles the immediate question of whether the public will be able to watch Hasan’s execution online.
However, the execution itself remains scheduled for December 3, subject to any legal developments.
The case continues to draw attention because of the severity of the 2009 attack, the rarity of military executions and the wider debate over how the United States administers capital punishment.
About the Author
