Cuba thwarts 'armed infiltration' from US
Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior reported a deadly firefight after intercepting a U.S.-registered vessel attempting an armed infiltration of the island. The boat was allegedly carrying firearms, explosives, and camouflage uniforms. The incident resulted in four deaths, six captures, and the injury of a Cuban border guard commander, escalating tensions between Havana and Washington.
The speedboat, registered in Florida as FL7726SH, was intercepted about one nautical mile off the coast of Cayo Falcones in Cuba's Villa Clara province. Cuban authorities say that when their border guard patrol approached the vessel, they were met with gunfire, which wounded the patrol's commander. Cuban officials identified all ten individuals on the boat as Cuban nationals residing in the United States, with most having criminal records. Two of the captured men, Amijail Sanchez Gonzalez and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gomez, were already on a Cuban national list of individuals wanted for alleged terrorist activities. Another man, Duniel Hernández Santos, was arrested on the island and accused of being sent from the U.S. to help the group once they landed. This event is not an isolated incident but follows a long history of attempts by Cuban exiles to overthrow the government. Groups like Alpha 66, formed in the early 1960s, have a history of launching paramilitary-style operations from Florida. These organizations have been linked to bombings and other violent acts, both in the U.S. and in Cuba. The firefight comes at a time of heightened friction between Washington and Havana. Relations that had thawed under the Obama administration were reversed, with the Trump administration reinstating Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terrorism and imposing new sanctions. In response to the infiltration attempt, both the U.S. and Cuban governments have launched their own investigations. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio stated that Havana has been in communication with U.S. counterparts, including the State Department and the Coast Guard, since the vessel was detected.
