Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier ordered an investigation this Wednesday into the armed incident that occurred this morning between a speedboat with Florida registration and the Cuban Border Guard Troops, in the waters of the Island. In the event, described by Congressman Carlos Giménez as “a massacre”, regime officials killed four of the occupants of the boat and wounded six others.
“I have directed the Office of the State Attorney to work with our federal, state, and law enforcement partners to initiate an investigation. The Cuban government cannot be trusted and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” wrote Uthmeier, after heeding Giménez’s request to launch an “immediate investigation”.
“U.S. authorities must determine if any of the victims were U.S. citizens or legal residents and establish exactly what happened. The Cuban regime must be relegated to oblivion for its countless crimes against humanity,” Giménez said.
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“The incident raises serious concerns about the use of lethal force against people on board a US-registered vessel,” he said, while stating that he has requested additional details from the State Department and the US Army “to obtain all relevant facts and ensure that this matter receives the urgent attention it demands,” he emphasized.
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Also, Congressman Rick Scott stated: “We need a thorough investigation of this worrying situation and determine what happened. The Cuban communist regime must be held accountable!”.
For her part, congresswoman María Elvira Salazar declared on her X profile: “I am closely following reports that Cuban regime forces opened fire on a speedboat with Florida registration, leaving four dead and six injured. This is a situation that is still developing and I am awaiting more details from US authorities.”
According to the official account, the occupants of the vessel disobeyed orders to stop and engaged in a maritime pursuit that ended in an armed confrontation. Numerous media outlets emphasize that they were civilians; however, no information has been able to verify the identity of the boat’s crew.
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While Havana insists that it was the occupants of the boat from Florida who started the shooting, “family members and witnesses denounce that it was an excessive use of force against civilians and question the lack of transparency in the investigation,” said journalist Mario Vallejo on his Facebook profile.
“As a result of the confrontation, as of the closing of this information, on the foreign side, four aggressors were killed and six injured, who were evacuated and received medical assistance,” detailed the MININT, which admitted that the commander of the Cuban coast guard ship was injured.
“Faced with the current challenges, Cuba ratifies its willingness to protect territorial waters, based on the fact that national defense is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban State in favor of the protection of its sovereignty and stability in the region,” he emphasized.
