Cuban soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-based speedboat that entered Cuban waters on Wednesday and opened fire on Cuban security guards, the Cuban government said amid tensions between the United States and the United States.
The injured were evacuated and received medical aid, while the Cuban police commander was also injured, the Cuban Ministry of the Interior said in a statement, adding that the matter is still being investigated to clarify exactly what happened.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that it was not a US operation and that no US government employees were involved. The Cuban authorities informed the US about the incident, and the Americans were still waiting to confirm if there were any US citizens involved, Rubio said, adding that the US would want to independently verify what happened.
The incident occurred as the United States blocked almost all oil shipments to the island, increasing pressure on the communist-led government. US troops captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on January 3, removing a key Cuban ally from power.
Speedboats smuggling people from the island have clashed with Cuban forces in the past, including one incident in 2022 in which Cuban border police killed one suspected smuggler, according to a Cuban government statement. It was one of 13 speedboats from the US to be seized in the first half of that year, Cuba said.
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Despite the adversarial relationship between the United States and Cuba for 67 years, the two countries have cooperated in the issues of drug trafficking and human trafficking in the Straits of Florida, especially during the rapprochement between former American President Barack Obama. Under long-term agreements, the US Coast Guard has returned migrants abducted at sea in Cuba.
In Wednesday’s incident, the speedboat arrived one kilometer from the station in Falcones Cay, on the northern coast of Cuba about 200 kilometers east of Havana, when it came upon five members of the Cuban border patrol, Cuba said. The speedboat then opened fire and wounded the Cuban captain, the statement said.
None of the dead or injured aboard the vessel has been identified, but Cuba said it was registered in Florida under the number FL7726SH.
“Faced with the current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protect the waters of its territories, based on the principle that national defense is the fundamental pillar of the Cuban government in protecting its sovereignty and stability in the region,” said a Cuban statement.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he is ordering prosecutors to open a joint investigation with other federal and state law enforcement agencies, saying Cuba’s account cannot be trusted.
US Representative Carlos Gimenez, a Republican whose district includes the southern tip of Florida, called for a government investigation, saying the incident raised serious concerns about the use of lethal force on a ship registered in the United States.
Gimenez said he asked the US State Department and the military to look into the matter, where he accused Cuba of killing four people. He did not testify.
“United States authorities must determine whether the victims were US citizens or legal residents and reveal what happened,” Gimenez said.
