Fort Hood Victim's Daughter Criticizes Planned Livestreamed Execution

The daughter of a victim of the 2009 Fort Hood terror attack has strongly criticized the plan to livestream the execution of the perpetrator, Nidal Malik Hasan. Keely Cahill Vanacker, whose father Michael Cahill was among the 13 people killed, described the idea as "absolutely the worst thing you could do" and stated it has "nothing to do with justice."

Hasan's execution by firing squad is scheduled for December 3. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the plan to broadcast the event live, a decision that has drawn widespread criticism.

Vanacker, speaking on CNN, expressed her dismay, calling the proposal a way to turn "tragedy" into "entertainment." She learned of the plan from her son, who saw it on social media. "I can’t imagine, with social media, how horrific it would be and how widespread it would be. It is not something you could just get away from," she said.

She emphasized that livestreaming the execution would not provide closure for the victims' families. "This does not bring anyone’s family back. Livestreaming isn’t closure for any of us," Vanacker stated. She added that even other victims' relatives who view the execution as closure did not want to see it broadcast live.

Hasan, a former Army Major, opened fire on a medical processing center at Fort Hood in November 2009, killing 13 people and wounding more than 20 others. He was shot by responding police, leaving him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Hasan had told officers he targeted soldiers deploying to Afghanistan because they were involved in an "illegal war" and considered himself to be waging a holy Islamic war against the United States.

In 2013, Hasan was convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder.

Hegseth announced the livestreaming plan on a podcast, stating that execution by firing squad represented a return to historical U.S. Army tactics and a stance of standing ground against the enemy. However, the decision has faced backlash from across the political spectrum.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska urged the Pentagon to reverse the "gruesome decision," arguing that such an act would give Hasan the "martyrdom" he desired and was more characteristic of "terrorists and dictators" than America. Senator Thom Tillis also condemned the idea, calling it "beyond disgusting" and comparable to actions taken by "oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan."

President Trump initially expressed support for the concept but later stated he had not made a final decision on whether to proceed with a public execution.