The Government of Cuba has denounced an attempt at “infiltration for terrorist purposes” by the crew aboard a US vessel that this Wednesday approached its coast and from which, after a shootout with Cuban security forces, four people died.
“It has been established that the neutralized speedboat, with Florida registration ‘FL7726SH’, was transporting ten armed people who, according to preliminary statements by the detainees, had intentions of carrying out an infiltration for terrorist purposes,” he stated on social networks, indicating that the Cuban authorities have seized “assault rifles, short weapons, artisanal explosive devices (Molotov cocktails), bulletproof vests, telescopic sights and uniforms of camouflage”.
The Ministry of the Interior, in a note shared by the Cuban Presidency, has made this announcement in the framework of an investigation for what it has described as “armed aggression against a unit of the Border Guard Troops” and after interrogating six of the crew members, the only survivors after the shooting, which it has identified as “Amijail Sánchez González, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara, Roberto Azcorra Consuegra”.
“Cubans residing in the US”
Likewise, the Cuban authorities have so far identified one of the four fatalities as “Michel Ortega Casanova”, and have indicated that all of the ten crew members “are Cubans residing in the United States.”
“Most of them with a known history of criminal and violent activity, including Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez who appear on the National list of people and entities that, by virtue of Resolution 1373 of the United Nations Security Council, International Law and the Cuban legal system, have been subjected to criminal investigations and are wanted by the Cuban authorities, based on their involvement in the promotion, planning, organization, financing, support or commission of actions materialized in the national territory or in other countries, depending on acts of terrorism,” the ministry added.
In the wake of this investigation, the Ministry has announced the arrest of Duniel Hernández Santos, whom it accuses of having been “sent from the United States to guarantee the reception of the armed infiltration, who is currently confessing to his actions.”
“Fire was opened on the Cuban troops from the boat”
According to information from the Cuban Executive, the vessel, with registration from the state of Florida, “approached” Cuban territorial waters “one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel, in Cayo Falcones, in the Corralillo municipality.” After that, a unit of the island’s Border Guard Troops made up of five people requested identification from its members.
“From the offending boat, fire was opened against the Cuban troops, causing the commander of the Cuban boat to be injured,” he detailed in a statement, adding that, as a result, four crew members of the boat died and another six received medical assistance after being injured.
The US will act “accordingly”
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, assured this Wednesday that the authorities of the North American country will respond “consequently” after the death of four crew members of a US vessel in a shootout with Cuban security forces near the coast of the island.
“We are going to find out exactly what happened here and then we will respond accordingly,” he said in statements to the press from Saint Kitts and Nevis, where he is meeting with leaders of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
The head of US diplomacy has indicated that they will verify what happened “independently” since, so far, “most of the information” in their hands comes from the Cuban authorities. In this sense, he has defended that Washington will draw its own conclusions about the event: “I have every reason to want our own information. In the United States, in general, we do not make decisions based on what the Cuban authorities say.”
Russia denounces “aggressive US provocation”
Russia described as an “aggressive US provocation” against Cuba the incident that occurred with a speedboat flying the US flag in Cuban territorial waters in which four crew members of the boat died.
“This is an aggressive provocation by the United States, the objective of which is to escalate the situation and spark a conflict,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the Russian agency TASS.
