ANAMBRA GOVERNMENT DISSOLVES NKWO UMUEZE MARKET LEADERSHIP OVER DEFIANCE OF MONDAY TRADING DIRECTIVE. (PHOTOS). #PRESS RELEASE
U.S. officials are investigating an incident in which Cuba’s government said it killed four people aboard a Florida-registered boat near the Villa Clara coast on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. The incident, which Cuban authorities described as an attempted “infiltration for terrorist purposes,” has raised concerns about escalating tensions between Washington and Havana.
Rubio said U.S. agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard, are gathering facts about the incident, including the nationalities and residential status of those on the boat. He emphasized that no U.S. government personnel were involved. “It is highly unusual to see shootouts in the open sea like that. It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time,” Rubio said while attending a conference in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Cuba’s Interior Ministry said the boat, which came within one nautical mile northeast of a town in central Cuba, fired on the island’s border patrol after authorities attempted to identify the passengers. The ministry said the speedboat carried 10 armed Cuban nationals living in the U.S., with six wounded taken for medical treatment on the island. Authorities reported seizing assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office will coordinate with federal, state, and local partners to conduct its own investigation, calling the Cuban government untrustworthy and vowing to hold the regime accountable. Vice President JD Vance said Rubio briefed him on the situation, while Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) urged officials to confirm whether any victims were U.S. citizens or legal residents and to clarify exactly what happened.
The shooting comes amid heightened U.S. scrutiny of Cuba, following the Trump administration's operations targeting Venezuela and increasing pressure on Havana’s leadership. The incident also coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Brothers to the Rescue tragedy, when Cuban authorities shot down two planes searching for refugees. Rubio has reportedly been holding private discussions with Raúl Castro’s family amid rising tensions.
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