The crew of Florida-registered speedboat planned attacks on military and civilian targets.
On Friday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel revealed new details about the armed infiltration attempt on Feb. 25, when Cuban border guard troops intercepted a speedboat coming from the United States with 10 people on board.
The speedboat’s occupants opened fire on the border guard, which responded to the attack that occurred in Cuban territorial waters. As a result of the confrontation, four members of the boat’s crew were killed and six were wounded.
Financed and organized from U.S. territory, the operation was stopped by five Cuban fighters who confronted a group that outnumbered them and greatly surpassed them in weaponry. One Cuban officer, however, was wounded.
“They were heavily armed with assault rifles, explosives and full military equipment,” Diaz-Canel said, debunking the version circulated by the Cuban right in exile that claimed the people on the boat were “seeking to reunite families.”
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 28, 2026
Cuba released footage of the arsenal from the Florida speedboat that fired on their coast guard.
25 firearms, 12,846 rounds, silencers, Starlink terminals, and full military kits.
Someone has explaining to do.https://t.co/nVv8t9XQ7L https://t.co/7Gno9d8NM1
With that arsenal, there was no physical space for any relatives on the vessel, the Cuban president said, noting that their real intentions were to assault military units and social centers to spread fear and confusion.
Criminal proceedings against the crew members are advancing with full due process guarantees. The relatives of those detained, injured and killed were immediately notified and have maintained direct contact with Cuban authorities.
During the investigation, all the captured individuals acknowledged their participation in the violent event and admitted that they fired first at the border guard vessel.
They also provided the names of recruiters, training locations, sources of financing and the specific purposes of the operation. These details will be made public as the investigation progresses.
Two of the detainees appear on Cuba’s national list of individuals designated as terrorists and have been circulated to international organizations.
Washington was informed in a timely manner. The U.S. side thanked Cuba for the information and expressed, through diplomatic and consular channels, its willingness to participate in jointly clarifying the case. Currently, Cuba is awaiting the arrival of FBI experts to work in coordination with the Interior Ministry.
Diaz-Canel and Interior Minister Lazaro Alvarez held a conversation with the commander of the Cuban border guard vessel who was wounded during the confrontation. The officer is a young man whose mother is a doctor and whose wife is a teacher.
When the Cuban president asked how he was feeling, the officer replied, “Fulfilling my duty.” He recounted how he was wounded and how he remained at the helm while bleeding. When his strength was no longer sufficient, he asked a fellow crew member to take command before lying down on the deck, from where he continued listening to the development of the operation.
“What tremendous pride for having thwarted an infiltration and prevented suffering for the Cubans… Our people have faces, names, families and stories,” Diaz-Canel said, adding that he hopes the officer will recover soon so he can tell his story to the population.
In another parallel investigation, 10 Panamanians were captured and prosecuted with full legal guarantees, consular assistance, and a visit from Panama’s ambassador in Havana.
All acknowledged their responsibility and identified their recruiters, the circumstances of their recruitment and the purposes of their mission. That information is also part of the ongoing complaint.
On Friday, Diaz-Canel also recalled the 32 Cuban fighters who were killed in combat during the U.S. raid on Venezuelan territory earlier this year.
“Those are things that strengthen our convictions and ennoble us in such difficult times,” he said, reaffirming the human profile of those who defend the Cuban Revolution.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: EFE – teleSUR
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