Trump says military execution will not be livestreamed
The execution by of a former US army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 at a military base in Texas will not be livestreamed, President Donald Trump says.
Source: Washington Examiner
US President Donald Trump says the execution of the Fort Hood gunman will not be livestreamed but immediate families of the victims will be able to view it in person.
“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 social media on Thursday (US time).
“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed. That said, the execution may be viewed in person by the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose. They deserve to witness JUSTICE!”
Pete Hegseth had announced plans for the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan to be livestreamed. Photo: AAP
Some of Trump’s fellow Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, as well as religious leaders and international observers, had expressed doubts about the Pentagon’s plan to livestream the December 3 execution of Nidal Hasan.
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Recent US polls have also showed a majority of respondents opposed the livestream idea.
Hasan, a US army psychiatrist who held the rank of major, walked into a medical building on November 5, 2009, where soldiers were waiting in long lines to receive immunisations and medical clearance for deployment.
He shouted “Allahu akbar” – Arabic for “God is great” – and opened fire with a laser-sighted handgun.
He also shot at the backs of soldiers fleeing towards the car park.
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In a subsequent military trial, Hasan was found guilty of fatally shooting 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas.
Nidal Hasan is scheduled to be executed in December at the site of his attack, Fort Hood army base. Photo: AAP Photo: AP
He was left paralysed from the waist down after being shot by police during the Fort Hood attack. He now uses a wheelchair – a circumstance said earlier this week to make the idea of his public excution “less palatable” to Trump, who has a “deep understanding of imagery”.
There was also said to be concern that terrorists could use the public execution to turn Hasan into a martyr.
Asked earlier this month how the public execution fitted with his Christian faith, Vance said “I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen”.
“Whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don’t forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people,” he said.
“Now, that said, I mean, look, if it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it.”
Hasan is scheduled to be executed on December 3 at the site of the attack.
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