Kenneth Glad
The remark followed a visit to a U.S. military base in Cuba. It put new focus on the prisoners still held there and the unresolved legal cases around them.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday in Tampa that the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay should have been executed “long ago,” according to Digi24.
Asked about the remaining detainees and justice for victims of the September 11 attacks, Hegseth replied:
“These detainees at Gitmo should have been executed, in my personal opinion, long ago for the crimes they committed against the American people.”
Remark came in Tampa
The comment came after Hegseth visited the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The New York Times reported that the Pentagon described the trip as a chance to meet troops before a later stop at U.S. Central Command in Florida.
Pentagon video showed him exercising with Marines near the gate separating the base from Cuban territory. He also ran on the base and called it “a very important and strategic piece of American terrain.”
At Guantanamo, Hegseth warned Cuba against seeking weapons that could reach either the United States or the base.
“What happens with the future of Cuba is in the hands of the president of the United States and the leadership of Cuba,” he said. “No matter what, the Department of War is going to be prepared and postured for any possible contingency.”
The U.S. Department of War reports that Hegseth told service members the base remains important to U.S. readiness in the Caribbean and the wider Western Hemisphere.
Cases remain open
The prison was opened after the September 11 attacks and once held nearly 800 prisoners, Digi24 writes.
Of the 15 detainees still there, only two have been convicted by military tribunals. Cases involving seven others are still in progress, according to Pentagon figures.
The facility has been criticized internationally over years of detention without trial, torture allegations and the use of military commissions.
The base sits on Cuba’s southeastern coast under a lease arrangement dating to 1903. Since the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro, Cuba has considered the agreement invalid.
The New York Times reported that Hegseth’s visit came as the Trump administration has increased pressure on Cuba for political and economic change.
Sources: The New York Times, Digi24, U.S. Department of War
