Trump cancels plan to livestream Fort Hood shooter's execution

Explainer

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Pentagon will no longer livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan.

Trump said on social media that publicly airing the execution "might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan."

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But, he continued, "many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device."

The Pentagon has said Hasan's execution is scheduled for Dec. 3. Trump said the execution can be viewed in person by immediate families of the victims, "if they so choose."

Why was the livestream cancelled?

The announcement earlier this month from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that Hasan's execution would be public, and subsequent confirmation from the Pentagon that it would be livestreamed, prompted significant blowback from both Republicans and Democrats.

Many pointed out that the images could be used to fuel radicalization.

Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said Trump and Hegseth discussed the decision to drop the livestream plans before the president's announcement on social media.

"The Secretary supports the President's decision, and they are completely aligned," Parnell said.

The cancellation comes less than three weeks before elections to determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress, as voters increasingly register disapproval of Trump's policies in opinion polls.

Sen. John Curtis, a Republican representing Utah, called the cancellation "the right move" in a statement.

What was the political and religious reaction?

When asked how the public execution comported with his Christian faith earlier this month, Vice-President JD Vance said "I don't know that that's actually going to happen."

"So 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," Vance said.

He added: "Now, that said, I mean, look, if it's ultimately livestreamed, I'm not going to be watching it."

Vance is Catholic, and the church has long opposed capital punishment. The head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had condemned the Trump administration's decision to livestream Hasan's execution, with Archbishop Paul S. Coakley saying the move was a "barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered."

Other top Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., voiced similar sentiments.

For his part, the president has defended his decision to approve the use of a firing squad, but had for days distanced himself from Hegseth's announcement that it would be public.

"Well, they're making a determination about that," Trump said Friday when asked about the livestream.

As for Hasan and the method of execution, Trump said then: "He will be killed. He will be, through firing squad. I really don't care how he goes, as long as he goes. And I think the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him."

Who is Nidal Malik Hasan and what did he do?

Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others on Nov. 5, 2009, at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas.

An Army psychiatrist who held the rank of major, Hasan walked into a medical building on Nov. 5, 2009, where soldiers were waiting in long lines to receive immunizations 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 toward the parking lot.

Hasan said it was an effort to stop them from going to Afghanistan and killing his fellow Muslims. A military judge barred him from presenting that as a defence during his 2013 trial.

Hasan was left paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the back by law enforcement and now uses a wheelchair.

Hasan could seek a lengthy delay of his execution, but it's not clear whether or not he will. An attorney representing Hasan could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters.

What is the historical context for this execution?

Hasan's execution is the first military execution in more than 65 years.

The U.S. military hasn't executed a service member by firing squad since the Second World War. The last military execution took place on April 13, 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was executed by hanging.

The initial decision to livestream the execution also came as capital punishment already faced renewed scrutiny after Christa Pike, convicted of murder in the 1990s, survived an execution attempt by Tennessee that left her badly injured and requiring hospitalization.

Hegseth had said the broadcasting of the execution was needed to ensure that people understand that "there's serious consequences for these types of things."

With files from CityNews, CBC News and Global News