Cuba: Guarda Costeira mata 4 em confronto com lancha americana

Cuban authorities too reported seizing rifles, handguns, homemade explosives (Molotov cocktails), bulletproof vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms.

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the government had been informed by Cuban authorities about the incident and was awaiting further details.

He emphasized that “this was not a U.S. Operation” and that the boat was not carrying U.S. Government personnel.

The development underscores growing regional tensions as the U.S. And Cuba navigate a complex relationship.

Rubio also described the episode as “extremely unusual” and said Washington would not base its conclusions “on what the Cubans tell us.”

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that the country would allow the export of Venezuelan oil to the private sector in Cuba for commercial and humanitarian use.

The Secretary of State warned that sanctions would be reinstated if the oil ends up being destined for the government or the Armed Forces.

According to the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, the Florida-registered vessel was approximately one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino maritime channel.

When the Cuban boat, carrying five members of the Coast Guard, approached the vessel for identification, “the occupants of the boat opened fire,” wounding the Cuban commander.

“As a result of the confrontation, four aggressors were killed and six were injured, receiving first aid and medical attention,” the Minint said in an initial statement.

The ministry later referred to the injured as detainees and released their identities: Amijail Sánchez González, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara and Roberto Azcorra Consuegra.

Among those killed was Michel Ortega Casanova. The other three are still being identified, according to the Minint.

The Minint stated that “investigations are continuing to fully clarify the facts.”

Cuba’s Presidency also published on the X platform that “it reiterates its willingness to protect territorial waters, based on the fact that national defense is a fundamental pillar of the State in favor of protecting its sovereignty and stability in the region.”

BBC News has contacted the U.S. Department of State and the White House for their versions of events.

In an interview with reporters in St. Kitts and Nevis, where he traveled to meet with Caribbean leaders—amid the Trump administration’s effort to increase pressure on the Cuban government—Rubio said it was “extremely unusual to notice shootouts at sea like this.”

“It’s not something that happens every day,” he said.

“We’re going to find out exactly what happened, who was involved, and we’ll make a determination based on what we find,” he continued.

He promised the United States would act “quickly” to gather key information about the case and that the U.S. Coast Guard had already moved to the “vicinity” of the attack.

“I don’t grasp who is in possession of the vessel. That’s the first thing we want to find out,” he said.

“Obviously, we want to have access to these individuals, if they are U.S. Citizens or residents of the United States,” Rubio said, before the Cuban government released information about the people detained.

The incident comes amid increasing tensions between the U.S. And Cuba, which is facing an increasingly severe fuel crisis, exacerbated by the U.S. Blockade of oil supplies from Venezuela, a long-standing ally of the island.

The Cuban statement alluded to these tensions, stating that “in the face of current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters” and safeguard its sovereignty.

Wednesday’s incident prompted several Florida lawmakers to call for an investigation and criticize the Cuban government.

Florida Congressman Carlos Gimenez, a Cuban-American former mayor of Miami, said he would demand an investigation into what he called a “massacre.”

James Uthmeier, Florida’s Attorney General, said he would direct local law enforcement officials to investigate the incident.

“The Cuban government is not trustworthy, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” he said.

In the Senate, Republican Rick Scott called for a “full investigation into this deeply concerning situation and to determine what happened.”

“The Cuban communist regime must be held accountable!” he added.