❓WHAT HAPPENED: Four men aboard a U.S.-registered speedboat were killed after allegedly opening fire on a Cuban border guard vessel.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Cuban border guards, a Florida-registered speedboat crew, and passengers.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Wednesday morning near Cayo Falcones, off Cuba’s northern coast in Villa Clara province.
💬KEY QUOTE: “As a consequence of the confrontation, as of the time of this report, four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six injured.” – Cuban Interior Ministry
🎯IMPACT: The confrontation left four dead, six injured, and prompted an investigation into the incident.
The Cuban government says four men aboard a U.S.-registered speedboat were killed after engaging in a gun battle with a Cuban border guard vessel in the communist country’s territorial waters on Wednesday. According to Cuba’s Interior Ministry, the occupants of a U.S.-registered speedboat opened fire on its coast guard near Cayo Falcones, with the armed exchange resulting in four of the American vessel’s occupants being killed, while six other passengers were wounded and are currently receiving medical care.
“As a consequence of the confrontation, as of the time of this report, four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six injured,” the Cuban Interior Ministry said in a message published by the Caribbean island nation’s embassy in Washington, D.C. According to the Cuban government, the Florida-registered vessel, carrying at least 10 people, was detected in its territorial waters off the country’s northern coast in Villa Clara province. When five members of the Cuban border guard approached the speedboat to verify its identity, the crew allegedly opened fire, injuring a Cuban coast guard commander.
It is unclear if the boat’s occupants are American citizens or why it was in the communist country’s waters. Cuban officials said an investigation has been launched to “clarify” the circumstances of the incident. The speedboat was registered in Florida under the number FL7726SH.
The incident comes as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in Saint Kitts and Nevis, an annual meeting of Caribbean nation leaders. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has increased economic pressure on Cuba—including a near-total blockade barring oil shipments to the island—as its nearly 67-year-old communist regime teeters on collapse.
UPDATE: According to publicly available information regarding the U.S. vessel’s registration number, the Cuban claim that the attack came from a speedboat may not be accurate. The FL7726SH appears to belong to a 1981 Pro-Line 24-foot center-console fishing boat.
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