Trump defends plan to air Fort Hood shooter execution live

The Trump administration is at the center of a public storm over an unprecedented plan to broadcast live the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former U.S. Army major convicted of murdering 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. Homeland Security Secretary Marquewayne Mullin defended the plan, saying security risks have been assessed and he does not believe the broadcast will create an increased threat.

"I don't see an increased risk," Mullin said in an interview on CBS's Face the Nation. According to him, the public needs to understand that the United States will pursue those who attack it and ensure the punishment fits the crime. "I have no sympathy for him whatsoever, and I give no thought to how this man will die," the secretary added, referring to Hasan.

The plan to broadcast the execution is drawing opposition from both sides of the political aisle. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called the plan "appalling" and wrote that a public broadcast of an execution is something she would expect to see from terrorists and dictators, not in the United States.

According to her, the broadcast could grant Hasan additional notoriety and turn him into a martyr figure in the eyes of extremist elements. She emphasized that how the country implements justice is no less important than the act of doing justice itself.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia also warned of security implications. According to him, allowing the public to watch an execution could hand terrorist organizations a propaganda victory, encourage radicalization, and endanger American soldiers, diplomats and civilians abroad.

Nidal Malik Hasan, former U.S. Army officer who murdered 13 people and wounded 32 others (Photo: social media)

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist from Virginia, opened fire in November 2009 on unarmed soldiers in a crowded medical facility at Fort Hood, Texas. Thirteen people were killed and 32 others wounded. During his trial, Hasan apologized for "any mistakes" he made and claimed he believed he was defending Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan from the U.S. military. He was wounded during the incident and has used a wheelchair since.

According to the plan, Hasan is scheduled to be executed in December by firing squad. If the plan goes forward, it will be the U.S. military's first execution since 1961, and its first by firing squad since World War II.

Evacuation of wounded at the scene of the deadly shooting (Photo: public domain via Wikipedia)

President Donald Trump said he approved the execution, but while he supports the idea of a live broadcast, a final decision on the matter has not yet been made. "There are two options: not to show it and to show it," Trump told reporters at the White House. According to him, broadcasting the execution may deter others from carrying out similar acts.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the plan and recommended the use of a firing squad. If the broadcast does take place, it would be the first public execution in the United States in nearly a hundred years.