Armed Group on Cutter Under US Flag Had Shootout with Cuban Border Guards. Four Killed
The incident occurred on the morning of February 25
Cuban servicemen. Illustrative photo: Sven Creutzmann/Mambo photo/Getty Images
A group of armed individuals on a cutter under the US flag invaded Cuba's territorial waters and opened fire on Cuban border guard officers, the republic's Interior Ministry reported.
The incident occurred on the morning of February 25 near the El Pino canal in Villa Clara province, when the Cuban coast guard approached the cutter to identify the passengers.
As a result of the clash, four people on the American vessel were killed, and another six were wounded. They were evacuated and are receiving medical assistance. The commander of the Cuban vessel was also wounded.
Later, Cuba's Interior Ministry clarified that the cutter was registered in Florida. The entire crew of the vessel consisted of natives of a Latin American country residing in the US. Some of them have criminal records. Cuban authorities were looking for these individuals for involvement in organizing, financing, or carrying out terrorist acts within or outside the country.
At this moment, the identities of six survivors and one deceased person have been established; information on three others is being clarified. On the cutter, assault rifles, short-barreled weapons, homemade explosive devices (Molotov cocktails), bulletproof vests, optical sights, and camouflage uniforms were found.
In Cuba, citizen Duniel Hernández Santos was also detained, who was sent from the US to receive the armed group. Security forces continue the investigation.
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