U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to the press at the St. Kitts Marriott Beach Resort in Frigate Bay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, about the recent shootout between Cuban authorities and a speedboat registered under the U.S.
“So this morning we were made aware by Cuban authorities of an incident off the coast of Cuba. We immediately began to look into it. As it stands now, the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, others are involved,” Secretary Rubio informed.
Secretary Rubio shared that the majority of the information obtained by the State Department is from what Cuban officials have reported to the public and the U.S. government.
“We have our embassy on the ground in Havana working this as we speak, asking for access to the people that were on those vessels, if they were American citizens or permanent residents,” Secretary Rubio continued. “According to the Cuban regime, the boat was registered in Florida. We’re tracking that down.”
On Feb. 25, Cuban border guards killed four exiles and injured six others aboard a Florida-registered sailboat that entered its territorial waters. The shooting took place "one nautical mile off Cayo Falcones.”
Cuba has accused the individuals, all of whom were allegedly Cuban nationals living within the U.S of planning "an infiltration with terrorist aims."
The incident comes amid a worsening economic crisis within the nation due to a U.S. oil blockade. The Trump administration has completely shut off access to Venezuelan crude since its military campaign to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3.
Russian officials have also commented on the situation in the Caribbean island, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov telling reporters on Feb. 26, “We see that the situation around Cuba is escalating.”
“The most important thing is the humanitarian component. Of course, the humanitarian issues of Cuban citizens must be resolved, and no one should create obstacles,” Peskov added.
