Cuba says it killed 4 people on speedboat from Florida, alleges they were trying to carry out terrorism on Cuba

The Cuban government said Wednesday that a speedboat from Florida that had entered Cuban waters was carrying weapons and that its occupants, Cuban nationals living in the U.S., allegedly planned to carry out terrorism on the island. Cuba's coast guard killed four people on the boat after the occupants opened fire, the interior ministry in Havana said.

The boat was one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino canal in Cayo Falcones, the ministry said, and had a Florida registration number. When five members of the Border Guard Troops approached the boat for identification, those aboard the speedboat allegedly began shooting. The commander of the Cuban boat was injured, the ministry said. 

"As a result of the confrontation," four people aboard the speedboat were killed and six were injured, the ministry said. The injured parties "were evacuated and received medical assistance."

Cuba's Interior Ministry said Wednesday night that the boat was carrying 10 people armed with assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights and camouflage uniforms, and the occupants of the boat were attempting to "carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes." The ministry said all 10 people were Cubans living in the U.S., and alleged that most "have a known history of criminal and violent activity." 

The ministry identified one of the four who were killed as Michel Ortega Casanova. Six others who were arrested were identified as Amijail Sánchez González, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara and Roberto Azcorra Consuegra.

Those identities and the alleged motives have not been confirmed by the U.S.

The ministry also said a seventh person, Cuban national Duniel Hernández Santos, was arrested on the island of Cuba and alleged he had been sent from the U.S. "to guarantee the reception of the armed infiltration." Santos "at this time has confessed to his actions," the ministry said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters earlier Wednesday that the U.S. government doesn't have other information besides what the Cuban authorities have said. He said that the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard and others are looking into the incident.

"We have our embassy on the ground in Havana working this as we speak," Rubio said, adding the U.S. is working to determine if the occupants of the boat were U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

"According to the Cuban regime, the boat was registered in Florida. We're tracking that down ... We're gonna find out exactly what happened here and we'll respond accordingly," he said.

In a separate news conference, Vice President JD Vance said the White House is monitoring the situation.

"Hopefully it's not as bad as we fear it could be. But can't say more, because I just don't know more," Vance said.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a social media post that he had ordered state prosecutors to "work with our federal, state, and law enforcement partners to begin an investigation."

Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Florida said she was "closely monitoring reports" of the incident, calling it an "unfolding situation."

Rep. Carlos Giménez, who was born in Cuba, called the incident a "massacre" and said the use of lethal force against individuals on a boat registered to the U.S. raises serious concerns. 

"I am calling for an immediate investigation into this massacre," Giménez said in a statement. "United States authorities must determine whether any of the victims were U.S. citizens or legal residents and establish exactly what occurred. The regime in Cuba must be relegated to the dustbin of history for its countless crimes against humanity."

Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York told reporters he was informed of the incident when he stepped out to take a call during a Congressional Hispanic Caucus news conference at the annual House Democratic retreat in Leesburg, Virginia. Espaillat, the chair of the caucus, told reporters: "We're going to be getting more detailed information."

The Cuban government said it remained committed to "protecting its territorial waters."

Tensions between the United States and Cuba have been escalating recently, with President Trump putting new sanctions and tariffs on the Caribbean country after the operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.