Cuba says 4 killed in speedboat shooting were attempting to infiltrate
Havana (AP): Cuba's government said late Wednesday that the 10 passengers on a boat that opened fire on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the US who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism.
The announcement came hours after Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-registered speed boat that had entered Cuban waters and opened fire on the soldiers first, injuring one Cuban officer.
Cuba's government said the majority of the 10 people on the boat “have a known history of criminal and violent activity”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told reporters earlier that he was made aware of the incident and that the US is now gathering its own information to determine if the victims were American citizens or permanent residents.
“We have various different elements of the US government that are trying to identify elements of the story that may not be provided to us now,” Rubio said while at the airport in Basseterre, St Kitts, where he was attending a regional summit with Caribbean leaders.
The Cuban government identified two of the boat passengers as Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, who are wanted by Cuban authorities “based on their involvement in the promotion, planning, organization, financing, support or commission of actions carried out in the national territory or in other countries, in connection with acts of terrorism.”
The government said it also had arrested Duniel Hernández Santos, adding that he was “sent from the United States to guarantee the reception of the armed infiltration, who at this time has confessed to his actions.”
The Associated Press was not immediately able to independently verify that information.
Cuba's government said it obtained the details about the passengers aboard the boat from the suspects detained following the shootout.
It identified seven of the 10 passengers, including Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara and Roberto Azcorra Consuegra. Cuba's government said that one of the four killed was Michel Ortega Casanova. Three others have not yet been identified.
“The investigation process continues until the facts are fully clarified,” the ministry said in a statement.
Misael Ortega Casanova, brother of Michel Ortega Casanova, told The Associated Press late Wednesday that he was mourning his brother's death but lamented that he fell into what he called an “obsessive and diabolical” quest for Cuba's freedom.
“Only us Cubans who have lived over there understand,” Misael Ortega Casanova said, referring to the “great suffering” that he and other Cubans on the island have faced.
He noted that his brother, who was a truck driver and an American citizen who lived for more than 20 years in the US, leaves behind his wife, his mother, two sisters — one of whom lives in Cuba — and a daughter who is pregnant.
“No one knew,” Misael said of his brother's plans. “My mother is devastated.”
He added: “They became so obsessed that they didn't think about the consequences nor their own lives.”
Misael said that he did not recognise any of the names that the Cuban government released.
He said that while he doesn't believe in heroes — “because that is ignorance” — he hopes that his brother's death might be a worthwhile sacrifice: “maybe it will justify that some day Cuba will be free.”
US President Donald Trump's top diplomat refused to speculate on what happened, saying that it could be a “wide range of things,” and that the US will not solely rely on what the Cuban authorities have provided thus far.
“Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It's not something that happens every day. It's something, frankly, that hasn't happened with Cuba in a very long time,” Rubio said.
He said both the US Department of Homeland Security and the US Coast Guard are investigating the incident and stressed that he wants to verify the facts.
“The majority of the facts being publicly reported are those by the information provided by the Cubans. We will verify that independently as we gather more information, and we'll be prepared to respond accordingly," Rubio said. "We're going to have our own information on this. We're going to figure out exactly what happened.”
He said it was not a US government operation and that he wasn't "going to speculate about whose boat it was, what they were doing, why they were there, what actually happened.”
One of the men identified by the Cuban government, Conrado Galindo Sariol, was interviewed in June 2025 by Martí Noticias, a US-based news site that has long called for a change of government in Cuba.
Galindo, whom the host called “a legend” and a former political prisoner, was quoted as saying that he wants to support the struggles that Cubans face, especially in the eastern part of the island “to achieve the freedom that is needed.”
He said that the protests in Cuba at that time were “not a spark that's going to be extinguished.”
“The regime's leaders are crisscrossing Cuba, trying to mitigate what's coming very soon because ... they know they're out of power, that they can't do anything about it, and they're looking for ways to prevent the protests from growing in other parts of the country,” Galindo was quoted as saying.
Rubio said he found out about the shooting before the Cuban government posted on social media, noting that the US has “constant contact” with the country “at the Coast Guard level”.
Earlier, Cuba's Interior Ministry issued a statement that provided few details about the shooting, but noted that the boat was roughly 1.6 km northeast of Cayo Falcones, off Cuba's north coast.
The government provided the boat's registration number, but The Associated Press was unable to readily verify details of the boat because boat registrations are not public in the state of Florida.
It wasn't immediately known what the boat and its occupants were doing in Cuban waters. In the statement, the ministry said Cuba's government was “safeguarding its sovereignty and ensuring stability in the region.”
The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said it would pursue answers “through every legal and diplomatic channel available,” adding that “facts remain unclear and conflicting.”
US Vice President JD Vance said late Wednesday afternoon that Rubio had briefed him on the incident. He added that the White House was monitoring the situation.
“Hopefully it's not as bad as we fear it could be,” Vance said.
The shooting threatens to increase tensions between the US and Cuba. Following the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump and top administration officials have taken an increasingly aggressive stance toward Cuba, which had been largely kept economically afloat by Venezuela's oil.
The energy crisis Cuba has been grappling with in recent years entered new extremes last month when Trump signed an executive order that would impose a tariff on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. The move put pressure on Mexico, which Cuba became largely dependent on for petroleum after Trump halted oil shipments from Venezuela.
Meanwhile, James Uthmeier, Florida's attorney general, said he has ordered prosecutors to work with federal, state and law enforcement partners to start an investigation.
“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” he wrote on X.
It's not unusual for skirmishes to erupt between Cuba's Coast Guard and US-flagged speedboats in Cuban waters, but there have been no recent reports of passengers opening fire or being killed.
In past years, some of those US-flagged boats were laden with unidentified items headed toward the island or they were going to pick up Cubans and smuggle them into the US.
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CM Siddaramaiah ready to "sacrifice power" or continue, as per Rahul's directions: Rajanna
Bengaluru (PTI): As the speculation about leadership change in Karnataka rages yet again, a senior party leader and close aide of Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the Chief Minister was ready to "sacrifice power" or continue in the top post, based on the directions of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
KN Rajanna also seemed to support the idea of a change in the party leadership as well, an apparent reference to deputy CM and Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar, whose supporters want him to be made CM.
Urging the Congress high command to clear the confusion on the leadership issue, Rajanna, a former minister who is considered close to Siddaramaiah, warned that continued uncertainty would be detrimental for the party and governance.
He also insisted that if the chief minister is changed, there should be a "Dalit CM" in Karnataka.
The development comes amid speculations within the party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two assembly segments in Karnataka, are announced.
"The Chief Minister has an open mind and has said he will abide by the directions of the high command and Rahul Gandhi, and that everyone should cooperate. The CM has repeatedly reiterated that he will abide by Rahul Gandhi's directives and suggested that everyone follow the decision. All ministers have agreed to it," Rajanna said in response to a question about the CM's recent discussion with his close cabinet colleagues and MLAs.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "power is not permanent for any politician, those who lose it will try to gain it and those who have gained it will try to maintain it. The CM's mindset is that he is ready to sacrifice power or continue in power as per Rahul Gandhi's directions. He will abide by Rahul Gandhi's decision."
When asked whether supporters of Siddaramaiah demanded that he continue as CM, and if he steps down, that an AHINDA leader should take over, the MLA said the matter is for the high command to decide.
"We have told the high command what we had to. Ultimately it is left to high command and Rahul Gandhi," he said.
AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) is considered as the strong support base of Siddaramaiah and also the Congress party.
When asked about his past statement that there should be a Dalit CM after Siddaramaiah, Rajanna said, "What's wrong with it. I am committed to the statement that there should be a Dalit CM."
MLAs and leaders who want Shivakumar to be elevated have recently claimed they expect some "sweet news" by May 15, which is their leader's birthday.
When asked whether the party president should also be changed, the former minister said that everything has to change.
"If the ministers have to change, why shouldn't the party president. Everything will be decided by high command," he said.
Shivakumar is the state Congress President and has completed six years in the post.
For the government to function more actively towards the welfare of the people it is important that the high command clears the existing confusion in the Congress party at the earliest, Rajanna said, adding, the ministers have gone to discuss the same with the leadership.
"I too urge that the high command should not allow the confusion to continue; as long as the confusion continues, it is detrimental for the party and governance. I will also go to Delhi after May 4," he said.
"The high command is at it (resolving the confusion), but because of elections, the leaders are busy. The matter cannot be decided hastily, it must be decided with a clear state of mind, as it involves the future of the people of Karnataka and the party," he said, expressing confidence that the party will take appropriate decisions after examining all aspects.
PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Monday met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary (in charge of Karnataka) Randeep Surjewala in New Delhi and requested them to address the speculation regarding the change of leadership in the state.
Subsequently Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa too met the party leadership in Delhi.
Both Jarkiholi and Mahadevappa are considered close to Siddaramaiah.
Regarding the demand for cabinet reshuffle, Rajanna said there is an expectation within both the party and the public that the administration should be sensitised more, and there is nothing wrong in new people getting opportunities.
Responding to a question, Rajanna said, there is a feeling among AHINDA communities that their expectations from the current government have not been fulfilled. "I too agree with it," he said.
Rajanna, who recently alleged that the Chief Minister is "helpless" and under some "compulsion," reiterated his statement by saying, "compare Siddaramaiah as CM during 2013-18 and 2023 to now, there is a huge difference, people are saying it."
The leadership issue is being hotly debated as Shivakumar's supporters have been demanding his elevation since late 2025, in lines with a rumoured power-sharing agreement involving Siddaramaiah when the party won the 2023 Assembly elections.
