US president reverses Pentagon’s plan to publicly stream execution of Nidal Malik Hasan after outcry.
United States President Donald Trump has said that the execution of a man who killed several military personnel at the Fort Hood military base in 2009 will not be livestreamed.
The statement on Thursday represented a reversal for the administration, with the Pentagon saying last week the execution would be livestreamed and Trump saying he “absolutely” supported the plan. The public killing would have been the first of its kind in the US since 1936, with successive administrations criticising foreign governments for conducting such executions.
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In his post, Trump called the convicted gunman, Nidal Malik Hasan, a “very bad and evil man”. He also accused the administration of former President Barack Obama of an “intelligence failure” ahead of the attack in Texas, which killed 13.
“With all of that being said, 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 but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device,” the US president wrote.
“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,” Trump said, adding that immediate family members of victims would be able to view the execution.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had announced last week that the execution would be “public”.
“Because people need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Hegseth said in an interview with right-wing media figure Jack Posobiec.
He added that the execution would take place on December 3 at 1pm US Central Time (18:00 GMT), the same time that the 2009 shooting took place.
The announcement was met with condemnation from some lawmakers, including members of Trump’s own Republican Party.
Some experts said livestreaming the killing could violate domestic US law that prevents the transmission of obscene, indecent, or graphic material. Some have argued it would be impossible to ensure minors were not able to access the livestream.
Critics have also questioned Hegseth’s claim that a public execution would serve as a deterrent, instead risking glorifying the attacker and inspiring copycats.