Trump cancels plan to livestream execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan

Trump announced the decision on Thursday following growing criticism of the plan to allow the public to watch Hasan’s execution by firing squad.

He said many good people with good intentions did not want to watch Hasan being killed, prompting him to cancel the livestream.

However, Trump stressed that the death sentence would still be carried out as planned, with Hasan executed by a military firing squad.

“He will die as scheduled, by a military firing squad, but this event will not be shown live,” Trump said.

The president argued that broadcasting Hasan’s execution to the world could have served as a powerful deterrent against crime and demonstrated how the United States punishes acts of terrorism.

Although the public will no longer be able to watch the execution live, Trump said the families of those killed would be allowed to attend and witness it.

“They deserve to see justice!” he said.

In 2009, Hasan shot and killed 13 unarmed service members and wounded 32 others in an attack at Fort Hood military base in Texas.

On November 5 that year, he entered a crowded medical processing facility and opened fire. The victims included service members awaiting medical examinations and vaccinations before deployment.

Last week, the US Department of Defense announced that Hasan would be executed by firing squad on December 3, 2026. It would mark the first execution under the US military justice system in more than 60 years.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had announced that the execution would be livestreamed for the public to watch.

He argued that people should understand that actions such as those committed by Hasan carry serious consequences for the perpetrators.

On Friday of the previous week, Trump had also expressed strong support for livestreaming the execution, although the Defense Department was still making the final decision on the matter.

At the time, he said he was not concerned about the method used to execute Hasan, but insisted that the sentence must be carried out. He added that he believed Hasan deserved the death penalty.

The proposal to livestream Hasan’s execution had sparked controversy, including debate over the purpose of making the execution public.

Trump’s latest decision cancels only the livestreaming arrangement. The execution date and the planned method of carrying out the death sentence remain unchanged.