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4h ago

Cuba Says It Killed Four in Gunfight With Florida-Registered Boat as U.S. Confirms American Dead

Parallel investigations are verifying identities and circumstances after the Cayo Falcones shootout.

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Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana on February 25, 2026. Cuba’s coast guard said on February 25, 2026, it shot dead four people and wounded six others traveling in a US-registered speedboat during an exchange of fire near Cuba’s shores that came amid heightened tensions with Washington.
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Overview

  • Cuba’s interior ministry says a patrol approached the Florida-registered vessel FL7726SH near the El Pino channel when occupants opened fire, wounding the commander, and border troops returned fire.
  • Four people on the speedboat were killed and six were wounded; the injured were evacuated for treatment and are now in Cuban custody.
  • Havana alleges the group were Cuban residents of the United States carrying assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, body armor and camouflage, and it has named several suspects while asserting an “armed infiltration” plot.
  • U.S. officials say the vessel was not on a U.S. government operation; the State Department, DHS and the Coast Guard are conducting their own inquiries, with the U.S. Embassy seeking access to survivors.
  • U.S. authorities have confirmed at least one American citizen was among the dead and say one U.S. resident was injured, while the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Florida is investigating a report that the boat was stolen from Big Pine Key.