President Donald Trump said Thursday that the government will not livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, NBC News and the BBC reported.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced last week that Hasan is "going to get a firing squad of soldiers, and we'll make sure that people are able to watch it," NBC reported. The plan drew pushback from Republicans and Democrats, and some critics said it could feed Hasan's stated wish for martyrdom, according to NBC. The United Nations called the plan "abhorrent," the BBC reported.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said streaming the execution "might have been a strong deterrent," but that "many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die." He wrote, "He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed." Families of the victims may watch the Dec. 3 execution in person, he said.

Hegseth's announcement caught Trump, several senior White House officials and Army officials by surprise, a White House official and a U.S. official told NBC. A Pentagon spokesman said Hegseth spoke with Trump before the post and "supports the President's decision," the BBC reported.

Hasan shot 13 unarmed military personnel dead and wounded 32 others in the 2009 attack, the BBC said. His execution would be the first by the U.S. military in more than 60 years, according to the BBC. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released hours before Trump's post found that 80% of Americans opposed streaming the execution, CNBC reported.

What we know: The execution is still set for Dec. 3, but it will not be streamed, and victims' families may attend.
What we don't: Whether Hasan will file a new legal challenge that could delay the execution.