Fort Hood shooter execution: Trump calls off execution livestreaming plans

President Trump has ruled out live streaming the execution of Nidal Hassan, the former army major convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting. The decision reverses U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's early announcement that the execution will be broadcast to the public. Trump says the execution will proceed as scheduled by firing squad on December 3rd, but would not be streamed. He added that the victims' immediate families could attend in person if they wished. The decision comes after widespread criticism in the United States and abroad, including lawmakers, religious leaders, and others, including members of Trump's own party. However, Hegseth had defended his decision, arguing that people needed to understand that such crimes carry serious consequences. Hassan was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in the November 2009 attack at Texas' Fort Hood, a U.S. military base in Texas. His planned execution by firing squad would mark the first U.S. military execution in more than six decades. Amid growing debate, data from Amnesty International shows that public executions remain rare globally. The rights group recorded 11 public executions in Iran in 2025 and six in Afghanistan.