US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed that the United States is conducting its own investigation into a deadly shootout involving a boat off the coast of Cuba, as authorities seek to verify the identities and nationalities of the victims and passengers involved.
Speaking in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, where he was attending a regional summit with Caribbean leaders, Rubio said multiple US agencies were gathering independent intelligence to establish the facts. He noted that Washington would not rely solely on information provided by Havana.
“It is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It’s not something that happens every day,” Rubio said, adding that both the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Coast Guard are investigating the incident.
The Cuban government identified two of the passengers as Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, describing them as wanted individuals linked to alleged terrorist-related activities. Authorities also said they arrested Duniel Hernández Santos, claiming he was sent from the United States to facilitate what they described as an “armed infiltration.”
Havana further named several other alleged passengers, including Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara and Roberto Álvarez Ávila, though it later admitted to misidentifying Roberto Azcorra Consuegra as being on board.
Cuba also confirmed that one of those killed was Michel Ortega Casanova. His brother, Misael Ortega Casanova, told the Associated Press that the family was devastated, describing his brother — a US citizen and longtime resident of the United States — as having become consumed by a dangerous quest to see Cuba free. He said Michel left behind his wife, mother, sisters and a pregnant daughter.
Rubio stressed that the incident was not a US government operation and declined to speculate about the boat’s purpose or ownership. “We’re going to have our own information on this. We’re going to figure out exactly what happened,” he said.
The shooting occurred about 1.6 kilometres off Cayo Falcones, according to Cuban Interior Ministry, which said the investigation was ongoing and that authorities were acting to “safeguard sovereignty and regional stability.”
The incident has heightened fears of escalating tensions between United States and Cuba, particularly under the administration of Donald Trump, which has taken a tougher stance toward Havana in recent months, including new economic and energy sanctions.
US Vice President JD Vance said the White House was monitoring developments closely, while Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a state-level investigation in coordination with federal agencies.
US officials said they would pursue clarity through legal and diplomatic channels as independent inquiries continue, warning that many of the publicly reported details remain unverified and conflicting.
