Cuba Confirms Four Fatalities in US-Registered Boat Incident

Cuba’s government reported that the four individuals who were fatally shot by Cuban border guards while traveling in a US-registered speedboat were Cuban citizens residing in the United States.

The Cuban government said the four people shot by Cuban border guards on a US-registered speedboat were Cuban citizens living in the US.

In a statement posted online, the Cuban Interior Ministry said the speedboat’s passengers—four of whom were killed and six others injured, all Cuban citizens—opened fire on a Coast Guard vessel approaching them near an island off the country’s northern coast on Wednesday.

The statement said the 10 men, some with prior criminal records, were armed and intended to “infiltrate with terrorist purposes.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was also investigating the “very strange” incident.

The Cuban Interior Ministry has identified six surviving passengers who have since been detained and one passenger who was killed.

They said most of them had “prior records involving criminal and violent activity.”

According to the statement, handguns, assault rifles, improvised explosive devices, and other tactical gear were recovered on the speedboat.

The Interior Ministry also identified an eleventh person who has been arrested and has confessed to being part of the alleged plot.

In an earlier statement posted on X, the ministry said the Florida-registered vessel—with registration number FL7726SH—was found Wednesday morning near Cayo Falcones in the country’s central Villa Clara province.

The statement said that when a Cuban boat carrying five members of the ministry’s border guard approached the vessel for identification, “the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire” and injured the Cuban commander.

“As a result of this confrontation, as of the time of this report, four attackers on the foreign vessel were killed and six injured.”

The statement said the injured were evacuated and provided medical assistance.

Before identifying some of the Cuban government passengers, Rubio confirmed that there were no US government personnel on the boat and that an investigation was underway to “clear up” the incident and determine what the passengers were doing in the area.

Rubio spoke from St. Kitts and Nevis, where he was meeting with Caribbean leaders to discuss the Trump administration’s efforts to increase pressure on the Cuban government, as well as other regional issues.

He told reporters, “We will find out exactly what happened and who was involved, and we will make a decision based on what we find out.” He promised that US investigators would move “quickly” to gather the necessary information and that the US Coast Guard had arrived at the “nearby” site of the attack.

But he also said that the US would not rely on information provided by the Cuban government and that Washington would verify the facts of the case itself.

Rubio said, “It is very unusual to see such firing on the high seas. This does not happen every day.”

The incident comes amid rising tensions between the US and Cuba, which is facing a deepening fuel crisis. This crisis has been exacerbated by the US blocking oil shipments from Venezuela, a longtime partner in the region.

Lawmakers Demand Investigation

The Cuban Interior Ministry’s initial statement, referring to these tensions, said that “in the face of current challenges, Cuba reiterates its firm resolve to protect the waters of its territory” and defend its sovereignty.

On Wednesday, the US Treasury said it would facilitate some small private sector transactions, including oil sales, to “support the Cuban people for commercial and humanitarian use.”

The incident occurred a day after Cuban-American groups in Miami commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Brothers to the Rescue shooting, which left four people dead.

Following Wednesday’s incident, Florida lawmakers and state officials called for an investigation and criticized the Cuban government.

Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez, a former mayor of Miami and a Cuban-American, said he would seek an investigation into the incident, which he called a “massacre.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeyer said he would direct local law enforcement to investigate the incident.

He said, “The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable.”

In the US Senate, Florida Republican Rick Scott called for a “full investigation into this very troubling situation to find out what happened.”

He said, “The Communist Cuban regime must be held accountable!”