While four people aboard a Florida-registered vessel were killed and six wounded in an exchange of gunfire with the Cuban coast guard on Wednesday, U.S. authorities say they are investigating the shooting and will act "accordingly."

First modification: 02/26/2026 - 12:46 Last modification: 02/26/2026 - 12:47

After Cuba shot down four occupants of a boat registered in Florida off the island and denounced an attempt at "infiltration for terrorist purposes," the head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, announced on Wednesday, February 26, that his country was investigating the shooting and would act "accordingly."

“As we gather more information, we will be prepared to react accordingly,” he declared on the sidelines of a meeting of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in the archipelago of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Asked about the possibility that this episode had involved US government personnel or was a US government operation, Marco Rubio responded categorically: "No."

Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants born in Miami, recently stated that the Trump administration hopes that its economic pressure will contribute to overthrowing what he called the "illegitimate regime" in Havana.

Before Havana's announcement about the presence on board of an armed group, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier had announced the opening of a judicial investigation. "The Cuban government is not trustworthy and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable for their actions," he wrote in X.

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For his part, US Vice President JD Vance declared that the United States is "monitoring" the situation.

Relations between Cuba and the United States are going through a new period of tension since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US forces in early January and the suspension by Caracas, under pressure from Washington, of oil shipments to Cuba.

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