Trump abandons plan to broadcast the execution of Nidal Hasan, convicted of the Fort Hood attack

Medeea Stănescu

15 October 2026, 16:18

International

Credit: Bell County Sheriff's Department / AP / Profimedia

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U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Nidal Hasan’s execution will not be broadcast live, although he had previously supported the idea. Hasan, a former military doctor, is set to be executed by firing squad for the attack carried out in November 2009 at Fort Hood in Texas.

Thirteen service members were killed and another 32 were wounded in the attack. The execution would be the first carried out by the U.S. military in more than 60 years.

Trump said broadcasting the execution could have had a powerful deterrent effect and would have shown the world how the United States treats terrorists. However, the president said he abandoned the plan after considering the views of some “very good and well-intentioned people” who would not want to see Hasan die.

Vice President JD Vance had previously expressed doubt that the execution would be broadcast live and said he would not watch it. Hasan will be executed as scheduled, by firing squad, but the event will not be publicly broadcast.

Context: the debate over the live broadcast of Nidal Hasan’s execution and international reactions

Before the final decision, U.S. authorities announced that the execution of Nidal Hasan, convicted of the 2009 attack at Fort Hood, could be broadcast live. The plan was presented in the context of an execution scheduled for December 3 in Texas and debates regarding the death penalty in the U.S. military.

The proposal drew critical reactions from some international institutions. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights denounced the broadcast, arguing that airing it would amount to a public execution and violate the absolute prohibition of torture, characterizing such practices as cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

At the same time, the discussion was also fueled by the public positions of President Donald Trump, who had previously supported the idea of broadcasting it live but later indicated that he had abandoned the plan after considering opinions from the public sphere.