Cuban Coast Guard kills four people on US-registered boat
International legal expert Eugene Kontorovich discusses the Cuban Coast Guard’s shooting of four people on a U.S.-registered boat and analyzes U.S. demands on Iran, including giving up its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Russia warned on Thursday against “provocative actions” around Cuba after a firefight between the country’s coast guard and a US-registered speedboat that left at least four dead.
The comment comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US “would have our own information” about Wednesday’s incident, and that “we will respond appropriately based on what that information tells us.”
“The situation around Cuba, as we can see, is heating up. The most important thing is the humanitarian component. All humanitarian issues affecting Cuban citizens must be resolved, and no one should create obstacles,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. according to Reuters.
“As far as security around the island is concerned, it is of course very important that everyone maintains restraint and refrains from provocative actions,” he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (left) and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters; Ken Cedeno/Reuters)
Cuban officials say five military personnel approached the Florida-registered speedboat that was detected in Cuban territorial waters. According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry, residents then opened fire on Cuban troops, who returned fire. The ministry reported that “four attackers on the foreign vessel were killed and six were injured.” According to the ministry, the commander of the Cuban ship was also injured.
Cuban officials also claimed that the ten passengers on the Florida-registered boat were armed Cubans living in the US who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism.
The Cuban government added that the majority of the 10 people on the boat “have a known history of criminal and violent activity,” The Associated Press reported.
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The Cuban Coast Guard tows a boat trying to leave the country in Havana in December 2022. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
“Suffice it to say, it’s very unusual to see shootings like this on the high seas. It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something that, frankly, hasn’t happened to Cuba in a very long time. But we’re going to find out,” Rubio said Wednesday. “We’re not going to base our conclusions on what they’ve told us. And I am confident that we will know the full story of what happened here, and we will know that soon. And then, you know, we’ll respond appropriately based on what that information tells us.”
U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones of the Southern District of Florida also said Wednesday that “today’s reports indicate that four people aboard a Florida-registered vessel were killed and several others injured during a deadly exchange of gunfire off the coast of Cuba. This is a tragic and deeply concerning event. The Cuban regime claims their troops were fired upon, but the facts remain unclear and contradictory.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Wednesday’s incident “very unusual.” (Kevin Mohatt/Reuters)
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“We are using all available federal tools to understand exactly what happened, who was involved and whether U.S. citizens or legal residents were among the victims. We are committed to a thorough, impartial and fact-based investigation,” he added.
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