An FBI delegation is in Cuba to take part in the investigation into the incident involving an armed boat from Florida and Cuban coast guard forces, which left five dead and six injured, a source at the U.S. Embassy in Havana said. A U.S. embassy official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that “a technical team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation traveled to Cuba as part of its thorough and independent investigation into the maritime incident of February 25, 2026.”
The source said the FBI delegation traveled to Cuba on Tuesday. Havana said in March that Washington was willing to cooperate in the investigation, which took place amid rising tensions with the United States. “There is cooperation with U.S. counterparts, and we are awaiting a group of FBI experts to continue moving forward with this investigation,” President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on Cuban television on March 13.
Díaz-Canel also confirmed that day that Cuba was holding talks with the United States to seek “solutions through dialogue to bilateral differences.” According to the Cuban version of events, the incident occurred when a coast guard frigate approached the U.S.-registered boat to request identification, but the occupants responded by opening fire.
The Interior Ministry said at the time that four passengers aboard the intercepted boat were killed on the spot and six others were wounded. One of the injured later died in a Cuban hospital. A Cuban border guard was also wounded in the shooting.
Of the 10 passengers on the intercepted boat, two were U.S. citizens. Citing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the embassy source said that “most of the facts being reported publicly come from information provided by the Cubans.” “We will verify that independently” and “we are going to find out exactly what happened here and then respond accordingly,” the source added.
Authorities found firearms of various calibers aboard the boat, including 14 rifles, 11 pistols, and nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition, according to the Interior Ministry. The surviving crew members of the boat were formally charged with “terrorism,” prosecutors said.
Armed commandos infiltrating Cuba from South Florida to carry out attacks were common after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The administration of Donald Trump has made no secret of its desire to see regime change in Cuba, a country it considers an “exceptional threat” to U.S. national security because of its ties with Russia, China, and Iran.
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