Cuban prosecutors have officially indicted six individuals on terrorism charges after a U.S.-flagged speedboat became involved in a lethal clash with Cuba’s coast guard last week.
The defendants, identified as Cuban nationals residing in the United States, are alleged to have loaded the vessel with arms and set course for Cuba with the aim of unsettling Havana’s government.
During the encounter, the coast guard opened fire, killing four occupants of the boat that had approached to within one nautical mile of the island’s shoreline in the February 25 shoot‑out.
At least two of the speedboat’s passengers were U.S. citizens, one of whom was among the dead.
The attorney‑general’s office said the accused will be “remanded into provisional detention.”
No further information was provided regarding the condition or location of the injured detainees, amid a period of heightened U.S.–Cuba tensions. Washington has effectively suspended all oil deliveries to the communist‑run island while pressing for political and economic reforms. The current administration has openly voiced a desire for regime change in Cuba.
Cuban officials claim the alleged infiltrators arrived armed with roughly 13,000 rounds of ammunition, 13 rifles and 11 pistols, and displayed the seized weapons on a televised program on Friday.
They also broadcast images of the boats, each riddled with bullet holes from a firefight they said occurred at a distance of about 20 metres (66 feet).
Cuba has indicated that at least two of those arrested had previously been listed as suspected terrorists.
The interior ministry asserted the men came from the United States intending to create disorder and attack military targets on the island.
Prosecutor Edward Robert Campbell told state television on Friday that the suspects could face a range of charges, including offenses linked to terrorist activity.
If found guilty, they could receive sentences of up to 15 years for lesser counts and 20‑30 years – or even the death penalty – for the most serious accusations, Campbell added.
U.S. lawmakers have voiced doubt about Cuba’s account, urging independent inquiries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident was not a U.S. operation and that no American officials were involved.
Havana said the previous week that Washington was prepared to cooperate with the investigation.
Since the 1959 Cuban revolution, similar incursions by armed groups from South Florida have occurred.
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