MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cuba says four killed on Florida-registered speedboat after shootout in territorial waters

Authorities said the wounded were evacuated and received medical care, and that an investigation is under way “to fully clarify” what happened

February 25, 2026. Cuba said its border guard forces killed four people and wounded six others during an exchange of fire with a civilian speedboat registered in Florida that, according to Havana, entered Cuban territorial waters and failed to comply with an order to stop.

Cuba’s Interior Ministry said a patrol craft carrying five officers moved to identify the vessel when it was about one nautical mile from a channel near Falcones Cay, in Villa Clara province. The official account says someone aboard the speedboat opened fire first, injuring the Cuban patrol commander, and border guards then returned fire.

Authorities said the wounded were evacuated and received medical care, and that an investigation is under way “to fully clarify” what happened. In its statement, the Cuban government said it “reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters,” framing the incident as a sovereignty and national defense matter.

In the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the episode “was not a U.S. operation” and that no U.S. government personnel were involved. He said Washington would independently verify the facts: “We are going to have our own information on this… we’re going to figure out exactly what happened,” he told reporters.

Rubio said the U.S. embassy in Havana is seeking access to survivors to determine whether any of the victims were U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and that agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard are involved.

Vice President J.D. Vance said the White House was “monitoring” the situation, but acknowledged that details were still limited.

In Florida, Attorney General James Uthmeier called for a state-level investigation and publicly questioned Cuba’s account. Separately, Representative Carlos A. Giménez urged a federal inquiry to establish whether any victims were U.S. citizens or legal residents and to “determine exactly what occurred.”

The shooting comes one day after the 30th anniversary of the February 24, 1996 downing of two aircraft linked to the exile group Brothers to the Rescue, which killed four people—an episode that continues to resonate in Florida’s Cuba politics.