A dramatic and deadly incident off Cuba’s coast has reignited deep-seated tensions between Havana and Washington. Late Wednesday, a Florida-registered speedboat entered Cuban waters, leading to a fierce shootout with Cuban soldiers. The outcome was grim: four of the boat’s ten passengers were killed, and six were wounded.
Cuba’s government was quick to declare the individuals were armed, US-based Cubans attempting to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism. They alleged the group had a history of violent activity and had fired first, injuring a Cuban officer. Cuba named several passengers, including Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, as being wanted for terrorism, and claimed another, Duniel Hernández Santos, confessed to aiding the infiltration.
However, the United States is approaching the situation with caution. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the US is independently gathering its own information, emphasizing that such shootouts are “highly unusual” and promising thorough investigations by Homeland Security and the Coast Guard. He stressed the US would not solely rely on Cuba’s account.
The human cost is evident. The brother of one of the deceased, Michel Ortega Casanova—an American citizen and truck driver—mourned his loss, describing his brother’s “obsessive and diabolical” quest for Cuban freedom. This tragic event unfolds against a backdrop of escalating US sanctions and a tougher stance towards Cuba, further complicated by Florida’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier, who has launched an investigation, openly stating the Cuban government “cannot be trusted.”
As both nations seek to unravel the truth, this deadly encounter marks a volatile new chapter in the complex, often fraught, relationship between Cuba and the United States.
