Trump rules out livestream for Nidal Hasan firing squad execution

President Donald Trump announced that the planned firing squad execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will not be livestreamed, reversing an earlier Pentagon announcement that the public would be able to watch the convicted mass killer's final moments.

Trump said in a Truth Social post that broadcasting the execution could serve as a powerful deterrent to terrorism but acknowledged that many Americans would rather not witness Hasan's death.

"He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed," Trump wrote.

AMERICANS DRAW THE LINE AT LIVESTREAMING ‘SPECTACLE’ OF FORT HOOD SHOOTER'S EXECUTION: ‘IT’S AN ABOMINATION' Hasan’s execution is scheduled for Dec.

3.

Trump said immediate family members of the 13 people killed in Hasan's 2009 rampage will be permitted to attend in person if they choose.

"They deserve to witness JUSTICE!" Trump wrote.

The president's announcement comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the execution would be made public, telling Real America's Voice that Americans would be able to watch Hasan's death.

"We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public," Hegseth said at the time.

Pentagon officials subsequently confirmed Thursday that the execution would be livestreamed, though additional details had not yet been released.

Trump suggested in his Truth Social post that broadcasting the execution could have sent a message to would-be terrorists.

"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," Trump wrote.

The president added that "many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device." Hasan, a former Army major and psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others during a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, on Nov.

5, 2009.