Cuban forces killed four people who opened fire from a speedboat with Florida tags, an incident with the potential to escalate an already tense standoff with the US.
The vessel approached within one nautical mile off the coast of Villa Clara early Wednesday, Cuba’s Interior Ministry said in a statement. When security forces approached to identify the passengers, the occupants starting shooting at border patrol, injuring the commander of the military vessel. Six others on the speedboat were wounded and are being provided with medical care.
The New York Times cited a US official saying that no US Naval or Coast Guard boat was involved, but that it was a US civilian vessel attempting to get relatives out of Cuba. The US State Department, the Pentagon, US Southern Command and the US Coast Guard didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez said in a statement posted to X that the incident was a “massacre” and demanded an investigation to determine whether any of the victims were US citizens or “legal residents.”
Since removing Nicolas Maduro from power in Venezuela in early January, Donald Trump’s administration has turned its attention to the communist-run island as it seeks to consolidate its influence in Latin America. The US has effectively imposed a naval blockade on Cuba, dramatically reduced its access to fuel. It has pressured other nations to stop the using Cuban health workers, which generates much-needed hard currency for the island, particularly now that its tourism industry has taken a hit. Trump has also mused about the collapse of the six-decade-old regime.
Trump had appeared to be providing some relief for Cuba as recently as Tuesday, when the government signaled it would allow fuel imports for private businesses on the island.
“Faced with current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban state,” the island’s ministry said.
The incident occurred the same day as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Saint Kitts and Nevis for meetings with Caribbean leaders. The Caricom’s summit started Tuesday, with outgoing Chairman and Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness warning of a migration crisis due to Cuba’s worsening conditions and calling for Washington to hold constructive talks with Havana.
Wednesday’s altercation also comes just a day after the 30-year anniversary of another fatal incident between the Cuban government and two Florida-based unarmed aircraft that Havana claimed had violated its national airspace.
The death of the four pilots, all part of Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based anti-Castro group, soured ties between the US and Cuba, and led then-President Bill Clinton to sign the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, which tightened the economic embargo on the island.
Cuba has been a one-party state ever since the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro toppled a US-backed dictator. The Caribbean nation of about 10 million relied on support from the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991, and had until recently been relying on subsidized Venezuelan oil to meet its energy needs.
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