Trump approves public execution plan but may reconsider livestream

Summarised from 2 outlets · 3 reports · Updated 10 Oct, 22:13 · Archive

The US military plans to execute Nidal Hasan by firing squad on 3 December for killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009.

The Pentagon announced that Nidal Hasan, a former Army major, will be executed by firing squad on 3 December for killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. This would be the first military firing squad execution since 1945 and the first public execution in America since 1936. Hasan said his attack was an attempt to spark a jihad in retaliation for US military action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the execution would be livestreamed. President Trump told reporters on Saturday he approved the plan but is still deciding whether to livestream it. "There are two thoughts: don't show it and show it," Trump said. "By showing it, maybe other people won't be doing what he did."

The plan has drawn criticism from lawmakers on both sides. Republican representatives said livestreaming an execution is a barbaric spectacle and that the focus should be on justice for victims, not entertainment. Vice President JD Vance said he did not know the execution would actually happen and said he would not watch it. The United Nations human rights committee suggested the plan would break the global ban on torture.

How it is being reported

• Trump still deciding whether to livestream Nidal Hasan executionPresident Donald Trump said he's still deciding whether to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan over the slaying of 13 people at Fort Hood.UPI · 10 Oct, 22:05
• Donald Trump backs grim plans for livestreamed execution - but JD Vance 'won't be watching'Trump was asked by reporters if he approved of the barbaric spectacle, announced by his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on ThursdayThe Mirror · 10 Oct, 16:20
• 'There's one way to block Donald Trump's grim livestreamed execution plan - but chances are slim'Pete Hegseth, Trump's Secretary of War, gleefully announced the first public execution in America for 90 years has been scheduled for December 3 - but is there any hope of avoiding this grim spectacle?The Mirror · 9 Oct, 16:08

In this story: Nidal Hasan · Donald Trump · Pete Hegseth · JD Vance · Fort Hood · Pentagon · United States

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