Cuba says its forces kill four attempting to ‘infiltrate’ island on Florida speedboat

By Mauricio Torres, Hira Humayun, Lex Harvey, German Padinger, CNN

(CNN) — Cuba said its forces fatally shot four people attempting to “infiltrate” its territory on a Florida-registered speedboat on Wednesday, amid simmering tensions between the communist island and the US.

Cuban border guard troops approached the boat to identify it after it entered Cuban territorial waters in Falcones Cay, Villa Clara Province, just over 100 miles from Florida, the country’s interior ministry said in a statement.

A passenger on the speedboat shot at the Cuban vessel, wounding its commander, and prompting Cuban forces to shoot back return fire, according to the statement. Six other people aboard the speedboat were wounded and are receiving medical attention.

The passengers were Cuban residents of the US and were armed, the interior ministry later clarified in a statement published by state-run news website Cubedebate. Assault rifles, handguns and Molotov cocktails were seized from the speedboat.

According to “preliminary statements” of the six surviving passengers, who are now in detention, the group “intended to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes,” the interior ministry statement said.

Two of the surviving passengers were previously wanted by Cuba for terrorism, the ministry added.

Another individual who was sent from the US to “facilitate the reception of the armed infiltration” was arrested and has since confessed, the statement said. CNN has reached out to the White House regarding the latest Cuban statement.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Cuba as Washington has blocked virtually all oil shipments from reaching the communist-run island. The oil shortage has brought Cuba’s economy to its knees, with the Caribbean nation experiencing its worst era of economic uncertainty in decades.

Earlier US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US embassy in Havana was looking into the incident after being informed of it by Cuban authorities.

“We’re going to find out exactly what happened here and then we’ll respond accordingly,” Rubio said.

The Department of Homeland Security and the US Coast Guard are also involved.

Rubio is currently in the region, on an official visit to Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Speaking before Cuba said the boat’s passengers were Cubans residing in the US, US Vice President JD Vance said the White House was “monitoring” the situation, but details are still scarce.

“(It is) certainly, you know, a situation that we’re monitoring, hopefully it’s not as bad we fear it could be. But (I) can’t say more, because I just don’t know more,” Vance said during an unrelated event at the White House.

The registration number given by Cuban authorities FL7726SH matched a 24-foot power boat that was manufactured in 1981, according to maritime database records.

Florida officials express alarm

Officials from Florida called for an investigation and for the Cuban government to be held accountable.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he has directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to help federal, state, and law enforcmeent authorities begin an investigation.

US Republican Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez, whose district includes the southern tip of Florida, said the incident raised concerns about the use of lethal force against people aboard a US-registered vessel and called for an investigation into the incident.

“United States authorities must determine whether any of the victims were US citizens or legal residents and establish exactly what occurred,” he said in a statement posted to X. “The regime in Cuba must be relegated to the dustbin of history for its countless crimes against humanity.”

Republican Senator Rick Scott, also from Florida, called the incident “deeply concerning” and said the Cuban government “must be held accountable.”

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CNN’s Max Saltman, Patrick Oppmann and Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.