“It will be public.” Hegseth reveals new details about the first execution by shooting since World War II

CNN) - US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pledged, in an interview, that the execution of Nidal Hassan, who killed 13 people in a mass shooting incident at Fort Hood in 2009, would be “public.”

“We're going to make sure people can see it, and that it's public, because people need to understand that there are serious consequences to things like this,” Hegseth told right-wing podcaster Jack Posobiec in an interview aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday.

He did not provide details about how the execution would be made available to the public.

The Pentagon announced on Monday that Hassan would be executed by firing squad, a measure recommended by Hegseth and approved by President Donald Trump.

Acting Secretary of the Army, Adam Thiel, set Hassan's execution date for December 3 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Central Time) at Fort Hood.

Hegseth said that the execution will take place "on a Thursday, and we will do it at one o'clock, which is the same time he committed his crime, and soldiers carrying rifles will carry out the execution by firing squad."

The Pentagon referred questions regarding how the public could view the execution to the army leadership, which has not yet responded to CNN's inquiries.

Hassan was convicted in July 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder.

During his trial, he told a panel of 13 officers that he was targeting soldiers due to be deployed to Afghanistan who were "going to participate in an illegal war".

On the day of the incident, he began his attack at the medical treatment center at Fort Hood, where he opened fire on troops there for medical examinations before being deployed. He then pursued the soldiers as they fled through the back door of the center, where he was confronted by police and exchanged gunfire with them before he was finally wounded.

This execution by firing squad will be the first of its kind carried out by the US Army since World War II.

Hegseth said in the interview that he liked "the mentality that we had in World War II, which was the mentality of victory; that is, the realization that when the enemy attacks you, you stand your ground and don't back down."