Trump drops plan to livestream US soldier’s execution

United States President Donald Trump has ruled out livestreaming the scheduled execution of former US Army Major, Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.

Trump announced the decision in a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, saying Hasan would still be executed by firing squad as scheduled on December 3, 2026.

The US President had earlier suggested that broadcasting the execution could deter terrorism, but said he had decided against it after considering the views of people who opposed showing the killing publicly.

“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.

“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed,” Trump wrote.

He added that the immediate families of the victims could attend the execution in person if they wished.

“They deserve to witness JUSTICE!” he said.

In the post, Trump described Hasan as a “very bad and evil man” and accused the administration of former President Barack Obama of failing to act on intelligence concerning the former army psychiatrist before the shooting.

Trump said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had intercepted electronic communications between Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni-American cleric, but investigators concluded that Hasan’s emails did not pose a threat.

He described the assessment as a key intelligence failure, an allegation that has also featured in scrutiny of the authorities’ handling of information about Hasan before the attack.

The decision not to livestream the execution follows criticism of the earlier plan to broadcast it publicly. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously announced that the execution would be livestreamed, prompting objections from lawmakers and religious leaders.

The execution was authorised by Trump after the completion of the military appeals process. The US Army announced that it was scheduled for 1 pm local time on December 3 at Fort Hood, where the shooting occurred.

Hasan opened fire on fellow soldiers at the military installation on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people and injuring 32 others.

A military jury convicted him in 2013 of premeditated murder and attempted murder and sentenced him to death. His case became one of the most consequential acts of violence at a US military installation.

The attack also prompted scrutiny of how the FBI and military authorities handled information about Hasan and his communications with al-Awlaki before the shooting.(Punch)