Nidal Hasan public execution: Ex-CIA agent warns of ‘more radicalized zealots’ after Hegseth's call to livestream Fort Hood shooter's death | Hindustan Times

The decision to livestream Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan's, execution has left the country divided. While Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants the public execution by firing squad to be broadcast, President Donald Trump has indicated he's not made a decision on it yet, amid widespread resistance from Republicans. While political ramifications might be on Trump's mind, given the looming November 3 midterm elections, an expert has warned of a far more dire possible consequence of broadcasting the Hasan execution.Former CIA official Ned Price shared his thoughts on X. Edward ‘Ned’ Price, worked for the CIA from 2006 to 2017, and was focused on detecting and disrupting possible terrorist attacks against the US and its interests. To be sure, Price made waves after resigning from the spy agency and publishing an opinion on why he preferred to leave the job than work for the Donald Trump administration.Also Read | Livestreamed firing squad, failed lethal injections, and the legal questions they raise for US death penaltiesHowever, Price's expertise in tracking and disrupting terrorist activities makes his voice relevant in this case, and makes the warning all the more serious.What Ned Price said about Nidal Hasan's executionPrice said that the glorification of violence, as the public execution would do, would likely create ‘more radicalized zealots’.“You can take it from those of us who’ve spent years working on terrorism: the surest way to spawn more radicalized zealots is to glorify violence, embrace a cult of death, and create a martyr for the cause,” he wrote on X. Price also shared examples of Al Qaeda or ISIS, saying their ‘tactics offer the closest modern-day approximation of Hegseth’s proposal.’“Either way, it’s hard to conjure a more vivid example of his trademark performative bravado, which routinely damages America’s image and, in this case, so ghoulishly leaves us more vulnerable,” Price added.Hasan, a former U.S. Army Major and psychiatrist, carried out a mass shooting in Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, where he killed 13 people – including 12 soldiers and one civilian, and hurt 32 others. He's now in a wheelchair after he was shot back and was paralyzed from waist down. Hasan's parents were Palestinian immigrants, and he has siblings as well.The House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems have noted that as per Amnesty International, there have been 17 public executions documented worldwide in 2025, of which 6 were in Afghanistan and 11 in Iran.Vice President JD Vance also said he would not be watching the broadcast of Hasan's execution, were it to take place.What Trump said about Hasan's executionTrump, meanwhile, said “We’re making a determination about that,” speaking to reporters on Friday about Hasan's execution being broadcast. “But he will be killed. He will be through firing squad. I really don’t care how he goes, as long as he goes, and I think that the death penalty is a very worthy way of going for him,” the president added. (With Bloomberg inputs)