Cuban military forces killed four Cuban residents of the United States after their armed speedboat entered Cuban territorial waters on Wednesday in what Havana described as a foiled armed infiltration attempt.
The Florida-registered speedboat carried 10 armed individuals who planned to carry out what Cuban authorities called a terrorist infiltration, the Interior Ministry said.
Cuban forces seized assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights and camouflage uniforms from the vessel.
A Cuban border guard commander suffered injuries during the incident, along with six people aboard the American boat, the ministry said.
The ministry confirmed all 10 individuals aboard the Florida-registered speedboat were Cuban residents of the United States.
It was gathered that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the United States would launch an independent investigation before deciding how to respond.
“We’re going to find out exactly what happened here, and then we’ll respond accordingly,” Rubio told reporters from St. Kitts and Nevis, where he attended a Caribbean leaders conference.
Cuban authorities claim the speedboat crew opened fire first when border guards approached their vessel for identification about 1 nautical mile northeast of El Pino channel off Cuba’s north coast.
“When a surface unit of the Border Guard Troops approached the vessel for identification, the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire on the Cuban personnel, resulting in the injury of the commander of the Cuban vessel,” the ministry stated.
The ministry listed one victim’s name and identified six detained individuals. Most have criminal records, authorities said.
Cuban police arrested a seventh person. The arrested person, according to Cuban national authorities, is an American operative sent to help the group infiltrate the island.
The statement also added that Medical teams evacuated and treated the wounded.
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Rubio acknowledged that most information the United States possesses comes directly from Cuban authorities.
It can be noted that it was Cuban border guards who alerted American officials to the incident on Wednesday morning and notified Rubio at that time.
Reporters asked whether any American personnel participated in the incident. Rubio answered: “No.”
Tensions between Washington and Havana have escalated under the Trump administration’s restrictions on oil shipments to Cuba, particularly from Venezuela. Washington announced Wednesday it would permit some sales to Cuba’s private sector.
Florida State Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on X that he directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to work with federal, state and law enforcement partners to investigate. He said the Cuban government “cannot be trusted.”
Florida Republican Representative Carlos Gimenez labelled the confrontation a “massacre” and demanded that the United States determine what occurred and whether any American citizens or residents died.
Florida Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz also demanded an investigation, warning against accepting the Cuban government’s account without verification.
“My office has contacted the State Department for more information, but it’s notable that this occurred in spite of ongoing Trump Administration negotiations with the Cuban regime,” she wrote on X.