United States President Donald Trump has abandoned plans to livestream the scheduled execution of former US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who was convicted over the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people.
Trump said on Thursday that Hasan would still be executed by firing squad on December 3, 2026, but the proceedings would not be broadcast publicly.
Also read: US to livestream Nidal Hasan’s execution by firing squad
The US President had earlier suggested that livestreaming the execution could serve as a deterrent to terrorism by allowing the world to see how the United States deals with people responsible for such attacks.
However, Trump said he changed his position after considering concerns from people who opposed publicly broadcasting an execution.
He said the execution would proceed as scheduled, but without any livestream or other visual broadcast.
Trump also said the immediate families of the victims would be allowed to attend the execution in person if they wished.
According to the President, the families “deserve to witness JUSTICE”.
Trump described Hasan as a “very bad and evil man” and renewed criticism of the handling of intelligence about him before the Fort Hood attack.
The President said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had intercepted electronic communications between Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni-American cleric, before the shooting.
He alleged that investigators had concluded that Hasan’s emails did not pose a threat, describing the assessment as a major intelligence failure.
The handling of information about Hasan’s communications with al-Awlaki has previously attracted scrutiny in relation to the 2009 attack.
The decision to abandon the livestreaming plan comes after criticism from lawmakers and religious leaders.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had previously announced that the execution would be livestreamed, a move that sparked opposition over the prospect of publicly broadcasting a state execution.
Hasan’s execution was authorised after the completion of the military appeals process.
The US Army said he is scheduled to be executed at 1pm local time on December 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, the military installation where the attack occurred.
Hasan opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people and injuring 32 others.
A military jury convicted him in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder before sentencing him to death.
Also read: US to livestream Nidal Hasan’s execution by firing squad
His case remains one of the most significant acts of violence recorded at a US military installation.
Ibrahim Onipede is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
