Cuba Says It Killed Four U.S.-Based Cubans in Alleged Armed Sea Infiltration

By Emmanuel Bobby

Cuba’s government said its military forces killed four Cuban nationals living in the United States after a boat carrying armed individuals entered the country’s territorial waters Wednesday in what officials described as a “foiled armed infiltration.”

According to a statement from Cuba’s Interior Ministry, the Florida-registered vessel was carrying 10 armed people who, based on preliminary statements from those detained, allegedly intended to carry out a terrorist infiltration.

Authorities said they seized assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights and camouflage uniforms from the boat.

The ministry reported that the incident occurred Wednesday morning about one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel off Cuba’s northern coast. When a Cuban Border Guard unit approached the vessel to identify it, the occupants of the speedboat allegedly opened fire.

“When a surface unit of the Border Guard Troops of the Ministry of the Interior, carrying five service members, approached the vessel for identification, the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire on the Cuban personnel,” the statement said. A Cuban border guard commander was injured in the exchange, along with six people aboard the U.S.-registered vessel.

Cuban officials said all members of the group were Cuban residents of the United States. The injured were evacuated and received medical treatment, according to the ministry.

One of those killed was identified as Michel Ortega Casanova. His brother, Misael Ortega Casanova, told The Associated Press that Ortega had become consumed by what he described as an “obsessive and diabolical” quest for Cuba’s freedom. He said his brother was a truck driver, a U.S. citizen who had lived in the United States for two decades and was married.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a statement posted on X that the country would defend itself against any “terrorist and mercenary aggression that seeks to undermine its sovereignty and national stability.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier Wednesday that the United States would conduct its own investigation before determining a response.

“We’re going to find out exactly what happened here, and then we’ll respond accordingly,” Rubio said from St. Kitts and Nevis, where he was attending a conference with Caribbean leaders.

Rubio described a shootout in open waters as “highly unusual,” adding that the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard were investigating. “It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time,” he said.

Rubio also said most of the information available to U.S. officials so far has come from Cuban authorities. He confirmed that the Cuban border guard alerted the United States about the incident Wednesday morning and that he was notified shortly afterward. Asked whether any U.S. personnel were involved, Rubio replied, “No.”

The confrontation comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana over restrictions imposed by the Trump administration on oil shipments to Cuba, particularly from Venezuela. However, U.S. officials announced Wednesday that some sales to Cuba’s private sector would be permitted.

In Florida, several elected officials called for a thorough investigation.

State Attorney General James Uthmeier said on X that he had directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution to coordinate with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to begin an inquiry, adding that the Cuban government “cannot be trusted.”

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., described the incident as a “massacre” and said the United States must determine exactly what occurred and whether any U.S. citizens or residents were victims.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., also called for an investigation, saying the Cuban government’s version of events could not be accepted “without scrutiny.” She said her office had contacted the State Department for additional information and noted that the incident took place despite ongoing negotiations between the Trump administration and the Cuban government.