U.S. officials are demanding answers after a Florida-registered vessel was involved in a deadly exchange of gunfire off Cuba’s northern coast, prompting parallel state and federal investigations into the incident.
Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior reported that the confrontation occurred in the El Pino channel in Villa Clara province and described the event as an “armed attack” against Cuban border forces.
The ministry said the vessel, registered in Florida, carried 10 armed individuals allegedly attempting a “terrorist infiltration.” Authorities claimed to have seized assault rifles, handguns, and explosives, detaining six wounded individuals and confirming one fatality, while three others remain unidentified.
However, one person identified by Cuban officials later told the independent Cuban outlet El Toque that he is living in the United States and was not injured.
U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones said initial reports indicate at least four people aboard the vessel were killed and several others wounded. He called the incident “tragic and deeply concerning,” saying the facts “remain unclear.” Reding Quiñones said federal agencies are using “all available tools” to determine whether U.S. citizens or legal residents were among the casualties and pledged a “thorough, impartial, and fact-based investigation.”
Florida leaders have expressed skepticism toward the Cuban government’s account. U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., accused Havana’s forces of attacking the boat and demanded access to “the six remaining Americans that are in Cuban hands right now.” He said the vessel—a 24-foot open fishing boat with a single 300-horsepower engine—had departed from the Florida Keys carrying ten people.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said the Office of Statewide Prosecution will coordinate with federal and local law enforcement to investigate. “The Cuban government cannot be trusted,” Uthmeier wrote on X, pledging to “hold these communists accountable.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also called for independent verification, saying the United States “does not make decisions based on what the Cuban authorities are saying.”
Federal officials said additional information will be released as investigations continue.
