US President Donald Trump has scrapped plans to livestream the scheduled execution of Nidal Hasan, the former US Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting in Texas, following mounting criticism over the proposed public broadcast, the BBC reported.
Hasan opened fire inside a crowded medical building at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, targeting unarmed soldiers awaiting medical check-ups and vaccinations before deployment. The attack killed 13 soldiers and wounded dozens of others.
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Trump said on Thursday that the execution would proceed as scheduled on December 3, 2026, but would not be streamed online.
A plan to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan drew bipartisan criticism in the United States, with opponents warning that broadcasting the killing could turn capital punishment into a public spectacle and provide propaganda material to extremist groups.
Lawmakers from both parties argued that footage could be circulated online to portray Hasan as a martyr, potentially aiding terrorist recruitment.
Human-rights organisations, religious groups and officials also raised moral and constitutional concerns, including whether broadcasting an execution would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
Trump had earlier backed the proposal, arguing that broadcasting the execution could serve as a deterrent against terrorism.
“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.
However, acknowledging concerns about publicly displaying the execution, he added that “many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die”.
The president confirmed that Hasan would still face a firing squad, while the families of the victims would be allowed to witness the execution in person.“They deserve to witness JUSTICE!” Trump said.
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The Pentagon announced Hasan's execution date last week, marking what would be the first military execution in the United States in more than six decades.
Trump had expressed support for the live streaming execution proposal last Friday, saying he “absolutely” approved of livestreaming the execution, although he noted that the Pentagon was still determining whether to proceed with the broadcast.
He had also described Hasan as “totally nuts” and said he did not care how the execution was carried out, provided it took place.
The decision to abandon the livestream comes amid debate over whether broadcasting an execution would serve as a deterrent or turn a state-administered punishment into a public spectacle.
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