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Cuban Forces Kill 4 in Shootout with Florida-Registered Speedboat Near Cuba

Cuban Forces Kill 4 in Shootout with Florida-Registered Speedboat Near Cuba
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Four people were killed and six wounded when Cuban border forces opened fire on a Florida‑registered speedboat that Havana said had entered its territorial waters and shot first, in an incident that immediately threatened to deepen tensions with the United States bbc +1. The confrontation unfolded Wednesday off Cuba’s north coast near Cayo Falcones, about 200 kilometers east of Havana and just over 100 miles from Florida, according to Cuban and U.S. reports thehill +1.

Cuba’s Interior Ministry said the vessel, registered in Florida under number FL7726SH, was carrying 10 Cuban nationals living in the United States and was intercepted after crossing into Cuban waters; an 11th alleged accomplice was arrested onshore thehill +1. Officials said the boat’s passengers opened fire on a Cuban patrol craft, wounding its commander, prompting troops to return fire, killing four people aboard and injuring the remaining six, who were later hospitalized in Cuba washingtonpost +1.

Cuba Calls It a ‘Terrorist Infiltration’ as Names and Weapons Listed

In a lengthy statement released via state media, the Interior Ministry described the group as “heavily armed Cuban exiles” who intended to carry out an “infiltration for terrorist purposes” against targets on the island thehill +1. Authorities published names of several detainees and said at least two had been previously wanted in Cuba over alleged terrorism plots, identifying one of the dead as Michel Ortega Casanova nytimes +1.

Cuban officials also displayed what they said were seized weapons and equipment from the boat, including assault rifles, handguns, homemade explosives or Molotov cocktails, ballistic vests and telescopic sights washingtonpost +1. Havana said the encounter took place within its territorial waters near the El Pino channel off Falcones Cay and insisted it “reserves the right to protect its territorial waters,” language underscoring the government’s framing of the clash as a defensive action under international law pbs +1.

U.S. and Florida Officials Demand Answers, Question Havana’s Account

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling in the Caribbean, confirmed that Cuban authorities had notified the United States about the incident and stressed that no U.S. government personnel were involved, calling it “highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that” bbc +1. Rubio said U.S. agencies, including the Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security, would independently verify what happened and determine whether any of the dead or wounded were U.S. citizens or legal residents bbc +1.

Florida officials reacted sharply. State Attorney General James Uthmeier ordered prosecutors to open an investigation and said “the Cuban government cannot be trusted,” vowing to seek accountability if U.S. residents were among the victims yahoo. Members of Florida’s congressional delegation urged federal inquiries and warned that if the use of force proved disproportionate, the episode could amount to a “massacre,” though they acknowledged that key facts — including who fired first and precise positioning of the vessels — remained unconfirmed washingtonpost +1.

The Bigger Picture

The deadly exchange came amid already fraught U.S.–Cuba relations, following new U.S. measures restricting oil supplies to the island and broader regional disputes over maritime uses of force, from American strikes on suspected “drug boats” to UN‑criticized operations against Venezuelan vessels nbcnews +1. Legal analysts noted that while states have broad rights to defend their territorial waters, questions over necessity, proportionality and independent verification of evidence will likely shape the diplomatic fallout once U.S. investigators deliver their findings nbcnews.