United States President Donald Trump has said that the execution of a man who killed several military personnel at the Fort Hood military base in 2009 will not be live-streamed. The statement on Thursday represented a reversal for the administration, with the Pentagon saying last week the execution would be live-streamed. The public killing would have been the first of its kind in the US since 1936, with successive administrations criticising foreign governments for conducting such executions.
In his post, Trump called the convicted gunman, Nidal Malik Hasan, a “very bad and evil man”. He also accused the administration of former President Barack Obama of an “intelligence failure” ahead of the attack, which killed 13. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had announced last week that the execution would be “public”.
He added that the execution would take place on December 3 at 1pm US Central Time ( ), the same time that the 2009 shooting took place. The announcement was met with condemnation from some lawmakers, including members of Trump’s own Republican party. Some experts said livestreaming the killing could violate domestic US law that prevents the transmission of obscene, indecent, or graphic material.
Some have argued it would be impossible to ensure minors were not able to access the live stream. Critics have also questioned Hegseth’s claim that a public execution would serve as a deterrent, instead risking glorifying the attacker and inspiring copycats.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
