Havana has said the armed “aggressors” opened fire on personnel during an identification check.
Four armed men traveling in a US-registered speedboat have been killed after opening fire on Cuban border guard forces in the island’s territorial waters, according to Cuban officials. The incident escalates already strained relations between Havana and Washington.
According to Cuba’s Interior Ministry, the incident occurred on Wednesday near the northern coast of Villa Clara province, when coast guard units intercepted a Florida-registered speedboat operating roughly one nautical mile from shore.
The vessel reportedly entered Cuban waters illegally and was approached for identification before gunfire broke out.
Cuban authorities said individuals aboard the speedboat opened fire first, wounding the commander of a Cuban patrol vessel. Border guards returned fire, killing four people and injuring six others, who were later evacuated for medical treatment.
Note from the Ministry of the Interior:
On the morning of February 25, 2026, a violating speedboat was detected within Cuban territorial waters. The vessel, registered in Florida, United States, with registration number FL7726SH, approached up to 1 nautical mile northeast of the… pic.twitter.com/AEmwtAZ4lO
— Cuban Embassy in US (@EmbaCubaUS) February 25, 2026
🚨#SOSCuba ¡La dictadura en #Cuba acaba de atacar un buque de la Florida y ha asesinado a las personas abordo!
The dictatorship in #Cuba has just attacked a boat from Florida & murdered those on board.
This regime must be relegated to the dust bin of history! pic.twitter.com/dBqM9waOMy
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) February 25, 2026
Cuban officials said an investigation is underway to determine the vessel’s purpose and motives for approaching the coastline. Havana reiterated that defending territorial waters remains a “fundamental pillar” of national sovereignty following the incident.
US officials have yet to issue a detailed public comment. Florida Representative Carlos Gimenez, a Cuban-American and former mayor of Miami, has demanded an “urgent” investigation into what he called a “massacre” to determine whether any of the victims were US citizens. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has ordered a probe into the incident.
The clash comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions between Washington and Havana, driven by US President Donald Trump’s ongoing oil embargo, which has deepened Cuba’s economic and humanitarian crisis.
