US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senator Carlos Gimenez have called for an investigation into the incident in which Cuban government forces shot and killed four people aboard a Florida-marked boat near the coast of Villa Clara.
Commenting on the incident, Rubio confirmed that the ship in question had no US government personnel on board and that whatever happened was not part of any US operation. However, it is currently unclear if there were any American citizens on board.
Probes ordered
“We’re going to have our own information on this, we’re going to find out exactly what happened, and there’s a number of things that could have happened here,” Rubio said.
“Suffice it to say that it is very unusual to see such firefights on the open sea,” the US secretary of state added.
Rubio wiretapped the US embassy in Havana to independently verify what happened.
Meanwhile, Sen. Gimenez, whose district includes the southern tip of Florida, called on US authorities to “determine whether any of the victims were US citizens or legal residents and determine exactly what happened.”
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“The regime in Cuba must be relegated to the dustbin of history for its countless crimes against humanity,” the senator added.
Meanwhile, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he has ordered prosecutors to launch an investigation in cooperation with other state and federal law enforcement partners.
Rubio and the senator’s comments came after Cuba’s Interior Ministry also announced an investigation.
What we know about the incident
According to Reuters, the ministry said a Florida-registered ship entered Cuban waters on Wednesday and opened fire on the patrol, prompting security forces to return fire.
A Cuban patrol commander was also wounded in the exchange, while other wounded were evacuated and treated.
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“When a surface unit of the Department of the Interior’s Border Patrol units with five service members approached the vessel to identify themselves, the crew of the offending speedboat opened fire on Cuban personnel, resulting in the wounding of the commander of the Cuban vessel,” the Cuban embassy in the US said, adding that four were killed and six were wounded.
“Given the current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its determination to protect its territorial waters based on the principle that national defense is the fundamental pillar of the Cuban state in protecting its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region. Investigations by the competent authorities are continuing in order to fully clarify the events,” the embassy added.
Relations between the US and Cuba are strained
The incident came as the U.S. blocked virtually all oil supplies to Cuba, increasing pressure on the island nation’s communist-run government.
U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Jan. 3, removing a key Cuban ally from power, and Rubio on Wednesday repeated his rhetoric against the Cuban government, calling the status quo unsustainable and saying Cuba needed to “change dramatically.”
(With input from agencies)
