Fatal incident between US and Cuban vessels
Cuba reported that a U.S.-registered boat violated its territorial waters, resulting in an altercation that left four people dead. According to Cuban authorities, six individuals on the American vessel were also wounded, and a Cuban border guard commander was injured in the incident.
The incident occurred approximately one nautical mile off Cayo Falcones, an island on Cuba's northern coast. Cuban authorities stated that their border guard patrol approached the U.S.-registered speedboat for identification when those on board opened fire, injuring the commander of the Cuban vessel. Havana has labeled the incident an attempted "terrorist" infiltration, claiming the individuals on the boat were armed with assault rifles, handguns, and homemade explosives. The Cuban government has released the names of the four deceased and six wounded individuals, identifying them as Cuban nationals living in the U.S. At least one American citizen was among the dead, and another was arrested. The owner of the speedboat, which had the Florida registration number FL7726SH, reported the vessel as stolen to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office in Florida. U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have stated they are conducting their own investigation into the "highly unusual" event and will not solely rely on the Cuban account. This deadly encounter is not an isolated event. In October 2022, a Cuban coast guard vessel reportedly rammed a boat near Bahía Honda, resulting in the deaths of seven people, including a two-year-old girl. The Cuban government also alleged that in June 2022, they returned fire on a trafficking boat, killing one person. These maritime incidents occur against a backdrop of severely strained U.S.-Cuba relations. The waters between the two nations, only 90 miles apart at their closest point, are heavily monitored. A maritime boundary agreement was signed in 1977 but has only been applied provisionally through a series of two-year executive agreements, as the U.S. Senate has never ratified the treaty.
