- The U.S. government confirms at least one American citizen is among the four dead following a maritime clash with Cuba’s Coast Guard.
- Cuban authorities allege the occupants were armed with assault rifles and Molotov cocktails for a “terrorist infiltration.”
- Investigations reveal the vessel was allegedly stolen from a Florida property owner by a former employee.
The White House and the U.S. Department of State have confirmed that an American citizen was among those killed during a violent confrontation between a Florida-registered speedboat and the Cuban Coast Guard on Wednesday.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the incident, which has sent shockwaves through the diplomatic corridors of Washington and Havana, resulted in four fatalities and the arrest of six others.
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According to a U.S. official, the group aboard the vessel included at least one U.S. citizen, legal permanent residents, and an individual on a K-1 fiancé visa.
The Cuban Ministry of the Interior provided a harrowing account of the skirmish, claiming the boat was intercepted one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino canal.
When Cuban Border Guard Troops approached for identification, the occupants of the speedboat allegedly opened fire with assault rifles, wounding the Cuban commander.
The Ministry further alleged that the vessel was outfitted for a “terrorist mission,” carrying handguns, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms.
Among the dead, Cuba identified Pavel Alling Peña, Michael Ortega Casanova, Ledián Padrón Guevara, and Hector Duani Cruz Correa.
In a dramatic twist, an incident report from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Florida revealed that the boat, a 24-foot 1981 Pro-Line was allegedly stolen.
The owner, Angel Walter Montera, reported the vessel missing from his Big Pine Key property, noting that he had not given anyone permission to use it.
Montera identified a former employee, Hector Duani Cruz Correa (one of the deceased), as the primary suspect in the unauthorized removal of the craft.
Misael Ortega Casanova, the brother of another deceased victim, told reporters that his brother was an American citizen driven by an “obsessive” desire to dismantle Cuba’s communist administration.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard are conducting a rigorous investigation into the circumstances of the trip.
“We’re going to find out exactly what happened here and we’ll respond accordingly,” Rubio asserted.
Meanwhile, the Cuban Embassy in Washington claimed that two of the men on the boat were already on a “terrorism” watch list provided to U.S. authorities in previous years.
They expressed a willingness to cooperate with the U.S. to clarify the facts, despite the heightened tensions between the two nations following recent sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.
As the investigation unfolds, the incident raises critical questions about maritime security and the activities of anti-government groups operating out of Florida.
The six survivors, currently hospitalized and under arrest in Cuba, were identified as Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara, Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, Amijail Sánchez González, and Roberto Álvarez Ávila.
While Havana insists the response was a matter of national defense against terrorism, U.S. agencies are working to determine if the group’s actions constituted a rogue operation or a broader organized effort.
