15 October,2026 08:43 PM IST | Washington | mid-day online correspondent
Nidal Hasan was an Army psychiatrist who held the rank of major and was convicted by court-martial for the November 5, 2009, shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. PIC/AFP
US President Donald Trump on Thursday cancelled plans to livestream the scheduled firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former US Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009, following widespread criticism of the proposal at home and abroad, news agency AFP reported.
Hasan's execution is scheduled for December 3, 2026, at Fort Hood, now known as Fort Cavazos. The execution is set to be the first US military execution since 1961 and the first by firing squad since 1945.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump confirmed that the execution would proceed as scheduled but would not be broadcast live.
Hasan "will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed," Trump said.
The US President indicated that he did not personally oppose the livestreaming proposal, suggesting that broadcasting the execution could serve as a deterrent against terrorism.
However, he acknowledged that many people opposed to broadcasting the execution had raised concerns.
"Many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die," Trump said, adding that the immediate family members of the victims could attend the execution in person if they wished.
The decision marks a setback for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had publicly backed the proposal to make the execution accessible to viewers. Last week, Hegseth said, "We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public."
He later confirmed that the plan was to livestream the execution.
The proposal sparked widespread opposition, including from members of Trump's own Republican Party, Democratic politicians, the Catholic Church, human rights groups and the United Nations.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, criticised the prospect of broadcasting an execution, describing it as "abhorrent".
"A government executing someone in public or in front of live cameras, frankly, is abhorrent," Dujarric said.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis also condemned the proposal, calling it "beyond disgusting" and arguing that "public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do", news agency IANS reported.
Austin Scott, a senior Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee, similarly opposed the plan.
"Live-streaming executions is what jihadists do," Scott said, adding, "America is better than that." He also clarified that he supported the death penalty.
The backlash put Hegseth's proposal under scrutiny as the Trump administration faces pressure over the stalled war with Iran and its political fallout ahead of the US midterm elections.
Hasan was an Army psychiatrist who held the rank of major and was convicted by court-martial for the November 5, 2009, shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. The attack killed 13 people and wounded 32 others.
He did not contest his conviction and acknowledged carrying out the shooting, describing himself as a "mujahideen". He had also sent a communication to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the late self-proclaimed "Caliph" of the Islamic State.
Hasan was sentenced to death in 2013. His scheduled execution by firing squad has renewed debate over capital punishment and the methods used to carry out executions in the United States.
The death penalty remains in force in several US states, although 23 of the 50 states have abolished it. Permitted execution methods vary by jurisdiction and include lethal injection, the electric chair and firing squads.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 47 people were executed across 11 US states last year.
Trump's announcement means Hasan's execution will proceed on the scheduled date, but without the livestream that triggered widespread criticism from political leaders, rights advocates and international organisations.
(With AFP and IANS inputs)
