Hegseth church allies backed plan for ‘public’ execution of Fort Hood shooter

Leader of CREC church - whose pastors have advocated death penalty - says he prefers public executions to private'

Donald Trump announced on Thursday he was cancelling Pete Hegseth's recently announced plans to livestream a military execution - because many very good and well-meaning people would rather not watch him die". But there were some fans of Hegseth's now-scotched idea: the rightwing religious figures who have long backed his career.

Hegseth announced last week that the US public would be able to see the execution of Nidal Hasan, which is set for 3 December at Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan, a former army major and psychiatrist, killed 13 people and wounded 32 at Fort Hood in 2009. A military court sentenced him to death in August 2013.