Cuba Names Suspects in Speedboat Shootout
According to Havana, the deadly clash unfolded Wednesday when border patrol units approached a Florida-registered vessel — identified as FL7726SH — operating approximately one nautical mile off the coast of Villa Clara province for a routine identification check. The individuals on board allegedly fired first, wounding the commander of a Cuban patrol craft before guards returned fire, killing four and leaving six others injured.
Cuban officials said a substantial cache of weapons and tactical equipment was recovered from the vessel, including assault rifles, sidearms, handmade explosive devices including Molotov cocktails, ballistic vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms — an arsenal the ministry said was consistent with a premeditated "infiltration with terrorist objectives."
Among the four killed, authorities have confirmed the identity of Michel Ortega Casanova, while efforts to identify the three remaining deceased are ongoing.
All six survivors in custody have been identified by name, with several reportedly appearing on Cuba's "national list of individuals and entities" flagged for alleged ties to past acts of violence and terrorism. All participants are believed to be Cuban nationals listed as residing in the United States.
The Interior Ministry also disclosed the separate arrest of a seventh individual, Duniel Hernández Santos, who authorities say confessed to having been dispatched from the US in advance to coordinate the armed group's landing on Cuban soil.
The incident drew sharp condemnation from Moscow. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova characterized the episode as "an aggressive provocation by the United States, aimed at escalating the situation and detonating a conflict."
Washington has categorically denied any role in the operation. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters, stressed that the vessel bore no connection to either the US Navy or the US Coast Guard. "Let's have our own information on this, and we will find out exactly what happened," Rubio said, declining to draw conclusions ahead of an independent review of the available evidence.
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