Bernd Debusmann Jr,White House reporter And
Max Matza
The four people shot dead by Cuban border guards aboard a U.S.-registered speedboat were Cuban nationals living in the United States, the Cuban government said.
In a statement posted online, Cuba’s Interior Ministry said the speedboat passengers – the four who were killed and six others injured, also Cuban citizens – opened fire on a coast guard vessel that approached them Wednesday near an island off the country’s northern coast.
The ten individuals, some of whom had criminal records, were armed and intended to “carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes”, the press release specifies.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was also investigating the “highly unusual” incident.
The Cuban Interior Ministry identified the six surviving passengers, who have since been arrested, as well as one passenger who was killed.
They added that most of them “have backgrounds involving criminal and violent activity.”
Handguns, assault rifles and improvised explosive devices were recovered from the speedboat, according to the release, along with other tactical equipment.
The Interior Ministry also identified an eleventh person who was arrested and allegedly confessed to participating in the alleged plot.
In a statement previously published on
When a Cuban boat carrying five members of the ministry’s border guard approached the vessel for identification, “the crew of the offending speedboat opened fire” and injured the Cuban commander, the statement said.
“As a result of the confrontation, at the time of writing, four attackers on board the foreign vessel were killed and six injured.”
The injured were evacuated and received medical assistance, the press release added.
Before the Cuban government revealed the identities of some passengers, Rubio confirmed that the boat was not carrying U.S. government personnel and that an investigation was underway to “clarify” the event and what the passengers were doing in the area.
Rubio, spoke from St. Kitts and Nevis, where he traveled to meet with Caribbean leaders amid the Trump administration’s efforts to increase pressure on the Cuban government, as well as other regional issues.
“We will find out exactly what happened, who was involved, and we will make a decision based on what we find out,” he told reporters.
He promised that US investigators would act “quickly” to piece together key facts and that the US Coast Guard had been “in close proximity” to the attack.
But he added that the United States would not rely on information provided by the Cuban government and that Washington would independently verify the facts.
“It’s very unusual to see such shootings on the high seas. It’s not something that happens every day,” Rubio said.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Cuba, which is facing an increasingly serious oil crisis, made worse by the United States blocking oil shipments from Venezuela, a longtime ally in the region, to the island.
Getty Images
Lawmakers call for investigation
The first statement from the Cuban Ministry of the Interior alluded to these tensions, affirming that “in the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters” and to safeguard its sovereignty.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury announced it would facilitate certain small private sector transactions, including oil sales, to “support the Cuban people, for commercial and humanitarian purposes.”
The incident also occurred a day after Cuban-American groups in Miami commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Brothers to the Rescue shooting, which killed four people.
Wednesday’s incident prompted lawmakers and the state of Florida to call for an investigation and criticize the Cuban government.
Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a former Cuban-American mayor of Miami, said he would demand an investigation into what he called a “massacre.”
James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, said he would ask local law enforcement to investigate the incident.
“The Cuban government cannot be trusted and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists to account,” he said.
In the US Senate, Florida Republican Rick Scott demanded “a thorough investigation into this deeply concerning situation and determine what happened.”
“The Cuban communist regime must be held responsible!” he added.
