Havana: Cuba’s government said late Wednesday that the 10 passengers on a boat that opened fire on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the US who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism.
The announcement came hours after Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-registered speed boat that had entered Cuban waters and opened fire on the soldiers first, injuring one Cuban officer.
Cuba’s government said the majority of the 10 people on the boat “have a known history of criminal and violent activity”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told reporters earlier that he was made aware of the incident and that the US is now gathering its own information to determine if the victims were American citizens or permanent residents.
“We have various different elements of the US government that are trying to identify elements of the story that may not be provided to us now,” Rubio said while at the airport in Basseterre, St Kitts, where he was attending a regional summit with Caribbean leaders.
The Cuban government identified two of the boat passengers as Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, who are wanted by Cuban authorities “in connection with acts of terrorism.”
Cuba’s government said it obtained the details about the passengers aboard the boat from the suspects detained following the shootout.
“The investigation process continues until the facts are fully clarified,” the ministry said in a statement.