Cuban border patrol forces killed four people and injured six others Wednesday in a shootout with the occupants of a Florida-registered speedboat, Cuban officials stated. The incident occurred off the coast of Cayo Falcones in Villa Clara province, according to a statement released by the Cuban Interior Ministry.
The Cuban government alleges the speedboat’s crew initiated the gunfire after being approached for identification. “When a surface unit of the Border Guard Troops of the Ministry of the Interior, carrying five service members, approached the vessel for identification, the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire on the Cuban personnel, resulting in the injury of the commander of the Cuban vessel,” the Cuban embassy said in a statement reported by USA Today.
Authorities identified one of the deceased as Michel Ortega Casanova. The six wounded individuals, along with the four killed, were described as “Cuban residents of the United States.” The Interior Ministry claims the group was attempting an “infiltration for terrorist purposes,” transporting firearms, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, and camouflage equipment.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called for an investigation into the incident, stating that the U.S. Is currently relying on information provided by Cuba. “I have every reason to aim for our own information. We in the United States don’t usually make decisions based on information from the Cuban government,” Rubio said, as reported by USA Today. He added that he wants to determine whether the individuals involved were U.S. Citizens.
The speedboat was registered in Florida, according to U.S. Maritime records. Al Jazeera reported that the incident took place roughly 90 miles from the Florida peninsula. The Cuban Interior Ministry, in its statement, reserved the right to “protect its territorial waters.”
As of Thursday, February 26, 2026, the Cuban government has made a seventh arrest related to the incident, though details regarding this individual’s connection to the speedboat crew remain undisclosed.
