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Cuban border guard have killed four crewmembers of a US registered speedboat on Wednesday after the vessel failed to stop when ordered in Cuban territorial waters, and allegedly opened fire on the police boat.
The Cuban Ministry of Interior released a statement noting that six others on the boat were also injured in the exchange of fire. The commander of the Cuban police boat, which carried a total of five people onboard, was also wounded.
Authorities stressed that all those injured were immediately brought to safety and received medical treatment.
The ministry says the Florida-registered speedboat – registration number FL7726SH – was detected one nautical mile from Falcones Cay in the Villa Clara province. A nearby patrol boat was dispatched to identify the vessel and its passengers when the shooting erupted.
The ministry said it remains committed to protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity against any threats, whether by land, sea or air.
US House Representative for southern Florida, Carlos Gimenez, called for an immediate investigation to be launched into the incident, which his statement, posted on X, described as “alarming”.
“I am calling for an immediate investigation into this massacre. United States authorities must determine whether any of the victims were US citizens or legal residents and establish exactly what occurred,” wrote Gimenez.
“The regime in Cuba must be relegated to the dustbin of history for its countless crimes against humanity,” he continued.
The statement added that the Representative for Florida’s 28th Congressional District is closely monitoring the situation and has requested the US State Department to alert him of any details that may arise to ensure the matter “receives the urgent attention it demands”.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana, after US President Donald Trump imposed an oil blockade on the Caribbean island, for what he said was its role in aiding Venezuela’s former President Nicolas Maduro’s regime.
Trump has cut off all oil and money transfers to Cuba from Venezuela, which it heavily relied on, after the US executed a stunning military intervention which overthrew and extradited Maduro early in January.
The US president has repeatedly urged Cuba to “come to its senses” and strike a deal with Washington “before it is too late”, likely alluding to military action in the island.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has so far refused to engage, saying any negotiations have to be held on equal footing, must be guided by common respect and imposing no threat to Havana’s sovereignty or foreign policy.
Cuban officials have slammed the US for its oil blockade, which they say has shut down the island’s health system and puts thousands of lives at risk.
The incident comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents emigrated from Cuba in 1956, arrives in Saint Kitts and Nevis to meet with Caribbean leaders, as the Trump administration looks to further ramp up pressure and isolate the Cuban government.
Additional sources • AFP