Cuban authorities said Wednesday that the occupants of a Florida-registered motorboat involved in a deadly shootout in the island’s territorial waters were armed Cuban nationals residing in the United States and intended to carry out “infiltration with terrorist objectives.” According to Havana, four people were killed and six wounded in the confrontation.
The episode, which took place off the north coast of central Cuba, reignited tensions between Washington and Havana at a time of acute economic strain on the island and renewed controls on maritime traffic between Florida and Cuba.
Cuba describes an armed “infiltration” attempt.
According to a statement from Cuba’s Interior Ministry, the vessel came within one nautical mile northeast of El Pino Channel, north of Corralillo in Villa Clara province. Five Cuban Border Patrol soldiers on a government boat were trying to identify the vessel when those on board reportedly opened fire, wounding the Cuban commander.
The ministry said “preliminary statements” from the detained men indicated they were planning “infiltration with terrorist objectives”. Officials said the group had firearms, Molotov cocktails, flak jackets and camouflage clothing. No further details about the alleged terrorist links were provided.
“As a result of the confrontation, at the time of this report, four foreign attackers have been killed and six injured,” the government said. The wounded were evacuated for medical treatment, Cuban state media said.
Authorities also said one man admitted to flying to Cuba to meet the ship. Most of those on board, officials said, had criminal or violent records. The government began to release the names of some of the dead and injured.
US reaction and Rubio’s remarks
Speaking in St. Kitts and Nevis during a meeting with Caribbean officials, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was gathering information but was currently relying on Cuban authorities.
“Once we gather more information, we will be ready to respond accordingly,” he said.
When asked if US government personnel or US operations were involved, Rubio said: “No.”
Later, as Rubio addressed broader U.S.-Cuban relations, he indicated that Washington did not foresee an immediate collapse of Cuba’s communist government.
“The status quo in Cuba is unacceptable. Cuba needs to change. It has to change, and it doesn’t have to change all at once,” he said. “They’re all grown up and realistic.”
He added: “This is a system that is collapsing and they need to make dramatic reforms,” and called on the government to “open up the space for economic and ultimately political freedom for the people of Cuba.”
Florida officials are calling for an investigation
The Florida-registered boat appears to be a 24-foot Pro-Line powerboat built in 1981, according to state records matching the registration number cited by Cuban authorities. Such vessels usually carry eight to ten passengers.
Representative Carlos Gimenez of Florida called for an immediate investigation into what he described as a “massacre.” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he had ordered the state’s Office of the Attorney General to investigate, saying, “The Cuban government cannot be trusted and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable.”
History of naval engagements
Wednesday’s incident was not unprecedented. In 2022, the Cuban Ministry of the Interior announced that it had detained 13 US motorboats involved in migrant smuggling and was exchanging gunfire with two.
In one incident near Cayo Fragoso, Cuban officials said a person aboard a U.S. vessel fired an automatic rifle at close range during the chase, wounding an officer. The US Coast Guard later detained the vessel. In a separate incident north of Bahía Honda in Artemisa province, Cuban border officials said traffickers opened fire when authorities approached, and one accused smuggler was killed.
“Once again, deplorable events are occurring as a result of the hostile and irresponsible migration policy of the United States government toward Cuba, which supports human trafficking operations organized by unscrupulous individuals living in that country,” Cuba’s interior ministry said at the time.
Economic crisis and escalation of tensions between the US and Cuba
The latest confrontation comes amid serious economic difficulties in Cuba, marked by oil shortages and soaring food prices. The Trump administration has halted oil supplies to the island and threatened tariffs on goods from countries that supply energy to Cuba, measures condemned by Havana.
President Donald Trump recently extended a Clinton-era emergency order that allows US authorities to detain US vessels bound for Cuba. Citing concerns that the Cuban government is “ready and reckless to use excessive force, including lethal force,” the February order authorizes U.S. officials to stop, board and detain ships bound for the island.
The directive claims that the unauthorized entry of U.S.-registered vessels into Cuban waters could “facilitate mass migration from Cuba,” thereby harming U.S. foreign policy interests.
The fateful exchange also happened one day after the 30th anniversary of the downing of two planes by the Cuban aid group Brothers to the Rescue in Florida. Jose Basulto, a survivor of the 1996 incident, said: “Those people act this way, they go there to Cuba to pick up people and they risk their lives.
Unanswered questions
Key aspects of Wednesday’s episode remain unclear, including the exact motives of those aboard the speedboat and whether there was any additional coordination beyond what Cuban authorities have claimed.
For now, both governments seem cautious. Washington said it was reviewing the facts before responding, while Havana characterized the confrontation as a defensive action against armed infiltrators.
The incident underscores the volatility of the sea lanes between Florida and Cuba, where migration, politics and security continue to collide in tense waters.
