In Cuba, four people who entered Cuban waters on a US-registered speedboat have been shot dead by border guards.
In a statement, Cuba’s interior ministry said that the speedboat’s passengers opened fire on a coast guard vessel that approached them. Six additional passengers were wounded in the incident, which took place near an island on Cuba’s northern coast. ‘
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the nationalities of those on board is unclear, and that the US will make determinations based on the facts. He said the boat was not carrying US government personnel. Cuba’s government said it did not know the identities of those on board the vessel, nor what it was doing in the area, and that an investigation has been launched to clarify the event.
The boat, which was registered in Florida, “was carrying 10 armed individuals who, according to preliminary statements from those detained, intended to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes,” the Cuban Interior Ministry said in a statement.
“Assault rifles, handguns, improvised explosive devices (Molotov cocktails), bulletproof vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms were seized,” it said.
The ministry said that the incursion happened Wednesday morning and that a commander of the Cuban border guard was injured, in addition to six people on the U.S. boat.
All members of the group were “Cuban residents of the United States,” according to the ministry.
On Thursday, Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a statement posted on X that it will defend itself against any “terrorist and mercenary aggression that seeks to undermine its sovereignty and national stability.”