US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the remaining prisoners at the US military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay should have been executed, according to reports from multiple outlets. The statements, reported by the Daily Mail and Al Jazeera, refer to the 15 detainees still held at the facility. Hegseth’s comments characterize the detention as a prolonged situation and argue that the prisoners “should have been executed” or “should’ve been executed long ago.”
The coverage is centered on Hegseth’s remarks rather than on any new policy decision or specific legal action. The articles describe Guantanamo Bay as a controversial US detention site and focus on the number of remaining prisoners, as cited in the reports. No additional details on the detainees’ individual cases, legal status, or timing of any changes are provided in the excerpts. The statements are therefore presented primarily as personal or policy-adjacent commentary by the US defense secretary on the fate of the remaining detainees.
