Cuban maritime units engaged a Florida-registered speedboat in an Armed confrontation off the island’s northern coast on 25 February 2026, Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior reported. The ministry said four people on the vessel were killed and six wounded; at least one Cuban officer was also injured.
Officials described the encounter as a response to a boat that entered Cuban territorial waters without authorization and—according to their statement—opened fire on patrols. Cuban authorities say their teams recovered weapons and equipment they allege were intended for an armed landing. The ministry’s initial release offered few operational details beyond that summary.
What Cuban authorities say happened
According to the Interior Ministry, maritime patrols detected an irregular contact heading toward Cuban waters and moved to intercept. The statement says the speedboat’s crew opened fire, wounding the patrol commander, and that boarding teams then found assault rifles, handguns, improvised incendiary devices, bulletproof vests and camouflage clothing. The ministry reported the boat carried 10 armed individuals.
Cuba says survivors received medical attention and some were brought ashore for processing. Officials released a preliminary inventory of seized items and declared the operation concluded once the area was secure. They framed the action as a sovereignty-enforcing countermeasure against an attempted infiltration.
Questions left unanswered
The official account raises several unanswered questions that independent investigators are likely to probe: a clear forensic timeline, chain-of-custody for recovered evidence, the treatment of detainees and independent verification of casualties and weapons recovered. The ministry’s statement did not include detailed forensic findings or third-party confirmation.
U.S. reaction and calls for an independent inquiry
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