Cuban coastguard kills 4 gunmen on US-flagged speedboat

The firefight took place in the country’s territorial waters, Havana said

A group of armed men aboard a US-registered speedboat reportedly opened fire on Cuban border guard forces in the island’s territorial waters, escalating 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 Cuban coastguard units intercepted a Florida-registered speedboat operating roughly one nautical mile from shore. Officials said the vessel had 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 on the boat 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

The identities and nationalities of those on board have not yet been confirmed, and Cuban officials said an investigation is underway to determine the vessel’s purpose and motives for approaching the island’s coastline. Havana reiterated that defending territorial waters remains a “fundamental pillar” of national sovereignty following the incident.

US officials have yet to issue detailed public comment. Florida Representative Carlos Gimenez, a Cuban-American former mayor of Miami, has demanded an “urgent” investigation into what he termed a “massacre” to determine whether any of the victims were US citizens.

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.