Speedboat, molotov and more: what you already know about the confrontation on the high seas off the coast of Cuba

Four armed Cubans aboard a speedboat registered in Florida died in a shootout with Cuban border troops near the island’s coast on Wednesday, according to local authorities.

The confrontation also left six people injured on the vessel after it entered Cuban territorial waters, the Cuban Ministry of the Interior said.

The 10 men on the boat were Cuban citizens residing in the United States, according to a Cuban state media report, which cited a statement from the Interior Ministry. According to the report, “preliminary statements” from men detained on the vessel indicated that they intended to carry out “an infiltration for terrorist purposes”. The statement did not specify how the government reached this conclusion.

See what is known so far:

What happened?

The vessel approached 1 nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, north of Corralillo, a city in the central province of Villa Clara, according to a statement from Cuba’s Interior Ministry.

Five Cuban border guards, on a government boat, approached the speedboat to request identification when people on board opened fire on the Cuban personnel, wounding a commander, according to the ministry’s statement and Cuban state media.

“As a result of the confrontation, at the time of this report, four foreign attackers were killed and six were injured,” the government said. The injured were evacuated and received medical attention, he added.

The Cuban state media report, citing a second government statement, said the men were carrying weapons, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests and camouflage clothing.

Authorities arrested a man who admitted to having traveled by plane to the island to find the speedboat, according to the second official statement. Most of the men on board had a history of criminal or violence, he added.

According to Florida state records, the Florida-registered vessel appears to be a 24-foot Pro-Line power boat, built in 1981. This matches the registration number reported by Cuban authorities.

The government began releasing the names of some of the dead and injured on Wednesday night.

What did US officials say?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday on a diplomatic trip to meet with officials from Caribbean countries, told reporters that the United States was investigating the shooting, but that, so far, it was dependent on information provided by the Cuban government.

“As we obtain more information, we will be prepared to respond accordingly,” he added.

Rubio said the incident was not part of a U.S. government operation and did not involve U.S. government personnel.

In a statement, Representative Carlos A. Gimenez, Republican of Florida, called for an immediate investigation into what he called a “massacre.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he has ordered the State Attorney’s Office to open an investigation into the shooting.

“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” he said.

What is the context?

The Trump administration has halted oil shipments to Cuba and threatened to impose tariffs on products from any other country that tries to supply oil to the island. The Cuban government denounced the measures adopted by the US.

Faced with a widespread fuel shortage and soaring food prices, the Cuban economy is in freefall, and experts say the moment could become a decisive milestone for the communist government.