A vintage car passes by the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba
Cuban officials said Wednesday that the country’s coast guard killed four people and injured six in an exchange of gunfire with a U.S.-registered boat that entered its waters from Florida.
A statement from the communist country’s Ministry of the Interior said people on board a speedboat from Florida entered Cuban waters and opened fire on Cuban personnel before they returned fire Wednesday morning. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said U.S. officials are working to verify this information themselves and respond accordingly.
The incident happened around one nautical mile to the northeast of El Pino canal in Cayo Falcones, according to a translation of Cuba’s statement. The injured “were evacuated and received medical assistance.”
The commander of the Cuban vessel was also injured, the Cuban ministry said.
It stated that it “ratifies its willingness to protect territorial waters, based on the fact that national defense is a fundamental pillar” of the state in a bid to keep “its sovereignty and stability in the region.”
It did not identify any of the people who were injured or killed on the speedboat, which was registered in Florida, it stated, adding that an investigation is underway.
Rubio refrained from speculating on the incident, but said it’s highly unusual for a shootout to happen on the open sea.
“I’m not going to opine on what I don’t know, but we’re going to find out exactly what happened here, and then we’ll respond,” Rubio said. “We’re not going to base our conclusions on what [Cuba] told us.”
Rubio affirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard has responded to the area of the incident, adding he will be getting more information from the agency soon.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday afternoon he has been briefed on the incident by Rubio, adding that the White House is monitoring the situation.
“Hopefully it’s not as bad as we fear it could be, but can’t say more because I just don’t know more,” Vance said.
In response to the incident, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said that he directed state officials to initiate an investigation.
“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” he wrote in a statement on X.
The Cuban regime is currently dealing with an energy crisis as the Trump administration has moved to block oil shipments from Venezuela to the country. American military forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and took him to the United States to face drug-related charges on Jan. 3, removing a key Cuban ally from power.
It comes as Rubio visited Saint Kitts and Nevis and spoke to a Caribbean group that has 15 member states and other associated members.
The Trump administration is now “giving priority to the Western Hemisphere” after the region has “largely [been] ignored for a very long time,” Rubio said at the meeting, according to a transcript of his remarks. “We are interested in rebuilding and constructing a new dynamic in this Western Hemisphere in which we partner with all of you on the issues we share in common,” he added.
The United States and Caribbean countries would need to cooperate more to tackle international criminal groups involved in drug trafficking through the region, he said, highlighting that these groups are heavily armed.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Department of State has not issued a statement on the speedboat incident. The Epoch Times has contacted the U.S. Embassy in Havana for comment.
Rubio said Wednesday the Embassy is “working this as we speak.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
