Donald Trump calls off livestream of Fort Hood shooter’s firing squad execution
President Donald Trump has reversed a Pentagon decision to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. While the execution will proceed via firing squad, the event will not be broadcast to the public, following bipartisan backlash and public opposition.
Why it matters
This decision highlights the tension between the administration's desire to project strength against terrorism and public concerns regarding the ethics and spectacle of state-sanctioned executions.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan's firing squad execution will not be livestreamed, reversing an announcement from the Pentagon last week.
"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed," Trump said of Hasan, who was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding dozens of others in the 2009 shooting. Trump added that the immediate families of the victims will be able to watch the execution in person.
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10 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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