Cuban Government says four killed in speedboat 'armed infiltration'; cuban government cites Florida-registered vessel
Four passengers of a Florida-registered speedboat were killed after Cuban border guards opened fire, and the Cuban Embassy said Wednesday night the dead were born on the island but lived in the United States, the cuban government said. Cuba’s interior ministry claimed law enforcement fired on the vessel after it entered Cuban waters in what it described as an "armed infiltration" attempt.
Cuban Government account of incident
The interior ministry said the vessel carried a total of 10 "armed" people who Cuban officials claim "intended to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes. " The ministry alleged that assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails and other weapons were found onboard the speedboat. The ministry said Cuban border troopers gunned down four passengers in a shootout after law enforcement opened fire when the boat entered Cuban waters.
Weapons and 'armed' passengers
Cuban authorities characterized the people aboard as armed and said a range of weapons was recovered after the engagement. Officials described the event as an attempted infiltration and an operation that included items the interior ministry listed as assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails and other weapons found onboard the vessel.
Survivors and identified names
The Cuban Embassy identified six injured survivors by name: Amijail Sánchez González, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara, and Roberto Azcorra Consuegra. The embassy additionally identified one of the deceased as Michel Ortega Casanova.
Arrest, confession and wanted list
An eleventh Cuban national, Duniel Hernández Santos, was also arrested "within national territory, " though it is unclear in the provided context whether he was on the boat with the other purported infiltrators. Cuban Santos was allegedly "sent from the United States" to receive armed seafarers on Cuba’s shore and that he "confessed to his role" in the operation. The embassy said González and Gómez were both listed on Cuba’s national wanted list for their suspected participation "in the promotion, planning, organization, financing, support or execution of terrorist acts in Cuba or abroad. "
US response and Rubio quotes
An official said the incoming vessel was a 24-foot power boat manufactured in 1981 and that the people aboard were working to get relatives out of Cuba. When asked for comment about the citizenship of those aboard the speedboat, the State Department referred to earlier comments made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio vowed that the US would "find out exactly what happened" and "respond accordingly. " He downplayed Cuba’s initial version of the attack, saying the US would find its "own information on this. " "We’re not gonna base our conclusions on what they told us, " he said, and he conceded "it is highly unusual to see shootouts in the open sea like that. That’s not something that happens every day. "
Location, distance and patrols
The shootout took place just one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, which is directly south of Florida and off the north side of Cuba. The area is regularly patrolled by the Cuban government.
Authorities have provided names, weapon allegations, the vessel description and the geographic location of the engagement; other details remain unclear in the provided context.
