US citizen killed on stolen boat in deadly | Political News

The 24-foot boat concerned in a deadly capturing with Cuba’s coast guard that resulted in 4 people being killed and six more injured, including a U.S. citizen, was stolen in the Florida Keys, a U.S. official revealed.

The deadly capturing occurred on Wednesday. Cuban officers said the people aboard the ship opened fire on the island’s coast guard, main the officers to fire pictures in self-defense. On Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the nation “does not attack or threaten.”

“We have stated this repeatedly, and we reiterate it today: Cuba will defend itself with determination and firmness against any territory or mercenary aggression that seeks to undermine its sovereignty and national stability,” the president said in a assertion on X.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is the son of Cuban immigrants, has requested the Cuban authorities for access to the six injured people. Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said it was gathering its own data “through every legal and diplomatic channel available.”

According to Axios, the vessel concerned in the capturing had been reported by its proprietor as stolen by an worker. Among those concerned in the capturing have been people with felony data, a U.S. citizen, one individual residing in the U.S. with Okay-1 visa, which permits a overseas national to enter the U.S. to marry an American citizen. Others in the stolen boat have been believed to be legal everlasting residents of the U.S.

Among those detained have been Amijail Sanchez Gonzalez, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gomez, Conrado Galindo Sariol, Jose Manuel Rodriguez Castello, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara, and Roberto Azcorra Consuegra. Meanwhile, the Cuban authorities said that among those killed was Michael Ortega Casanova.

Ortega Casanova’s brother, Misael Ortega Casanova, said his brother had developed an “obsessive and diabolical” curiosity in Cuba’s freedom before transferring to the U.S. He said his brother was an American citizen who lived in the nation for over 20 years.

Similarly, the Associated Press reported that Galindo Sariol was a former political prisoner. In 2025, he was interviewed for Marti Noticias, a U.S.-based news web site that advocates for a change in the Cuban authorities.

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The U.S. expressed skepticism over Cuban investigations of the capturing

The Cuban authorities said in a assertion on Wednesday that the group of passengers had made their method to the island from Florida with a myriad of weapons, including assault rifles, handguns, and handmade explosives.

“According to preliminary statements from the detainees, they intended to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes,” the assertion read.

Nevertheless, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said the Washington would perform its own investigations somewhat than rely on that of the Cuban authorities.

“We’re not going to base our conclusions on what they’ve [Cuba] told us, and I’m very, very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here,” Rubio told reporters on a journey to St Kitts and Nevis.

“As we gather more information, then we’ll be prepared to respond accordingly,” he added. “Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that.”

The capturing may have an effect on Cuba’s relationship with the U.S., which has been more and more fraught given the Trump administration’s aggressive stance on the communist nation. For occasion, earlier this 12 months, the American president signed an govt order imposing tariffs on any nation that sells or offers oil to Cuba.