A fatal maritime confrontation involving a Florida-registered speedboat and Cuban Border Guard Troops has sparked a high-level investigation by the United States government.
While Cuban authorities report that a shootout on Wednesday left four people dead and six injured, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that American agencies are moving quickly to verify the details of the “highly unusual” incident.
The clash occurred on Wednesday morning, approximately one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel in Villa Clara province.
According to a note from the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, a Border Guard unit approached the vessel (registration FL7726SH) for identification, at which point the crew of the speedboat allegedly opened fire. The Cuban government stated that the commander of their vessel was wounded in the exchange, and they subsequently returned fire, resulting in the ten casualties aboard the foreign craft.
RELATED: Clash Erupts Between Florida Speedboat And Cuban Border Guard, 4 Dead And 6 Wounded
Addressing the situation in a briefing, Secretary Rubio emphasized that the U.S. is not taking the Cuban government’s account at face value.
“We’re going to find out exactly what happened here, and then we’ll respond accordingly,” Rubio said. He noted that the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard are already involved, and the U.S. Embassy in Havana is seeking direct access to the survivors to determine if they are American citizens or legal residents.
“The majority of the information we still possess is what Cuban authorities are providing,” Rubio explained. “We will verify that independently. We don’t generally make decisions in the United States on the basis of what Cuban authorities are saying.”
While acknowledging that the Cuban Border Guard alerted the U.S. Coast Guard through established channels early Wednesday morning, Rubio described the initial reports as fragmentary and cautioned against speculation until more “fidelity” is gained from assets on the ground.
The incident has also drawn the attention of Representative Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., who joined the call for a transparent investigation. “United States authorities must determine whether any of the victims were U.S. citizens or legal residents and establish exactly what occurred,” Gimenez stated.
The Cuban government has defended its actions as an exercise of sovereignty, stating that “national defense is a fundamental pillar of the Cuban State in safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region.”
However, Secretary Rubio noted that such violent exchanges on the open sea are a rare departure from the norm for the region. “It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time,” he added.
As U.S. officials work to track down the registration history of the Florida boat and secure the vessel itself, the surviving injured individuals remain under medical care in Cuba. Secretary Rubio assured that once the facts are gathered and verified, they will be presented to the President and top policymakers to determine the next steps.
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