FBI Team Arrives in Cuba for Independent Probe Into Deadly Speedboat Firefight

A technical team from the FBI arrived in Cuba to do an independent investigation after a deadly Feb. 25 firefight between Cuban soldiers and 10 people on a Florida-registered speedboat in Cuban waters.

The U.S. Embassy in Cuba said in a statement to The Epoch Times that the FBI team arrived this week as part of a “thorough and independent investigation” into the Feb. 25 incident.

According to the Cuban regime, the speedboat entered Cuban waters and was intercepted, allegedly with weapons on board.

In the shootout that ensued, four were killed and six wounded, all occupants of the speedboat.

Cuban authorities said on March 5 that a fifth person who was injured in the incident died in the hospital.

Cuban authorities said the people on the speedboat were Cuban exiles, who opened fire on the Cuban soldiers as they approached. Cuba accused the people on the speedboat of planning a terrorist attack, and Cuban prosecutors filed terrorism charges against the men who were detained in the incident. Those charges come with a maximum sentence of 30 years and the possibility of the death penalty.

An embassy official told The Epoch Times the United States would verify the Cuban regime’s account of events.

“Consistent with U.S. policy, we do not make decisions in the United States on the basis of what Cuban authorities are saying,” the official said. “We will independently verify the facts and make decisions based solely on U.S. interests, U.S. law, and the protection of U.S. citizens.”

Cuba last carried out an execution in 2003. Three men were executed on terrorism charges when they hijacked a ferry and tried to take it to the United States.

Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said that assault rifles, pistols, sniper rifles, night vision equipment, bayonets, camouflaged clothing, and communication devices were found on the speedboat. There was also a large amount of insignia from counterrevolutionary terrorist organizations, Cuba said.

On Feb. 27, Cuban authorities posted a photo of the weapons recovered from the speedboat, but there was no verification by an independent source of the origin of the weapons on display.

The U.S. Coast Guard posted a warning about entering Cuban waters on March 21 on its Facebook page.

“Entering Cuban territorial seas and returning to the U.S. without the proper permit is illegal and you will be stopped,” the Coast Guard stated. “Vessels or persons attempting to enter the U.S. unlawfully by sea will be interdicted and repatriated to their country of origin or the country they departed from, consistent with U.S. law, policies and international treaty obligations.”

On Feb. 25, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba posted on its X account comments from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the incident.

Rubio said at that time that as soon as Cuba informed the United States of the incident, the Trump administration started an investigation that included the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard. Rubio said that the U.S. Embassy had requested access to the people on the speedboat to determine whether they were U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Rubio said most of the facts being reported were provided by the Cubans, and he said the United States would verify them independently.