US homeland security chief dismisses security threat from live-streaming execution
A top Trump administration official said on Sunday that the planned live stream execution of the perpetrator of a mass killing of US soldiers would not pose an additional security risk to the United States. “I don’t see an elevated risk at this point at all because of this,” US Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin told CBS News’ Face the Nation, when asked if it risked turning the perpetrator…
US Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin has declared that the planned live-stream execution of Nidal Hasan, the perpetrator of a mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009, would not heighten any security threats to the United States. Mullin told CBS News' Face the Nation, "I don’t see an elevated risk at this point at all because of this."
Hasan, a 56-year-old US Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and injured over 30 in the 2009 attack, making him the first person to be executed by a US military firing squad since 1945. The decision to broadcast the execution live, scheduled for December 3, was initially proposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon, sparking widespread criticism both domestically and internationally.
US President Donald Trump has left the matter of public broadcasting uncertain, stating, "I really don’t care how he goes, as long as he goes." However, Mullin emphasized that viewership is entirely a matter of choice, stating, "No one has to watch it if they don’t choose to." Vice-President J.D. Vance also expressed doubts about the Pentagon's plan to live-stream the execution, saying, "I’m not going to be watching it."
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and UK Cabinet Minister Bridget Phillipson both condemned the prospect of a public execution, labeling it as "abhorrent" and "disturbing," respectively.
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