Trump administration has denied involvement after Cuban authorities says a ship of armed males tried to infiltrate island.
Printed On 1 Apr 2026
A technical group from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrived in Cuba to launch an “unbiased investigation” right into a deadly shootout between native border patrol officers and a Florida-tagged speedboat.
The USA embassy in Havana introduced the FBI brokers’ arrival on Wednesday, following stress from officers to look into the incident.
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On the night time of February 25, 10 Cuban nationals tried to enter Cuba by speedboat, armed with almost 13,000 rounds of ammunition, 13 rifles and 11 pistols, in line with authorities in Havana.
5 had been killed within the shootout that ensued. The others had been wounded and had been taken into custody, the place they acquired medical consideration, the Cuban authorities has mentioned.
The US embassy mentioned in an announcement the FBI journey to Cuba was a part of a “thorough and unbiased investigation” into the incident.
An embassy official informed the Reuters information company the US would confirm Havana’s model of occasions.
“Per US coverage, we don’t make choices in the USA on the idea of what Cuban authorities are saying,” the official mentioned. “We are going to independently confirm the details and make choices primarily based solely on US curiosity, US legislation, and the safety of US residents.”
Tensions have soared between the 2 nations since January, when US President Donald Trump imposed a digital oil blockade on the island after abducting and imprisoning Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, an important Cuban benefactor, on January 3.
Cuba mentioned the assailants had been Cuban exiles who got here from the US with the intent to sow chaos and assault navy items.
A Cuban patrol of 5 border guard members on a nine-metre boat noticed the incoming vessel early that morning, about one nautical mile (equal to about 1.85km) off a distant channel on the Caribbean island’s northern coast, some 160km (100 miles) from Marathon, Florida.
The infiltrators fired on the patrol from 185 metres away, hanging the captain within the stomach, Cuba mentioned. Bleeding closely, the wounded captain remained on the helm and steered in the direction of the enemy vessel, resulting in a firefight at a distance of about 20 metres.
Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned the speedboat incursion was not a US operation and that no US authorities personnel had been concerned.
