Trump cancels planned livestream of Fort Hood shooter execution

The execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will no longer be livestreamed, U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social saying Hasan will be executed as scheduled, but the public will not be able to watch through livestream or any other visual device.

“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,” Trump said.

Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a shooting at the Fort Hood military base in 2009.

The initial decision to livestream the execution drew intense criticism from the public and experts about how the death penalty is carried out in the United States, especially after the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee.

While the public will not be privy to the execution, Trump said the immediate families of the victims will be allowed to watch the execution in person.

Hasan’s execution is the first military execution in more than 65 years.

He is scheduled to be executed by firing squad at Fort Hood on Dec. 3.