The Trump administration denied any involvement after Cuba’s government announced that an armed group’s boat had attempted to enter the island.
Published April 1, 2026
A technical team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrived in Cuba and begun an “independent investigation” into a shootout between local Border Patrol agents and a Florida-tagged speedboat.
Under pressure from officials to investigate the incident, the U.S. Embassy in Havana announced Wednesday the arrival of FBI agents.
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According to Havana authorities, on the night of February 25, 10 Cuban nationals attempted to enter Cuba by speedboat with approximately 13,000 rounds of ammunition, 13 rifles and 11 pistols.
Five people were killed in the gunfight that ensued. Others were injured, detained and treated, the Cuban government said.
The U.S. Embassy said in a statement that the FBI’s visit to Cuba was part of a “thorough and independent investigation” into the incident.
An embassy official told Reuters the United States would review events on the Havana side.
“In accordance with U.S. policy, we do not make decisions in the United States based on statements made by Cuban officials,” the official said. “We independently review the facts and make decisions based solely on the interests of the United States, the laws of the United States, and the protection of the American people.”
Tensions between the two countries have been high since US President Donald Trump imposed a de facto oil blockade on the island after abducting and imprisoning Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a key benefactor of Cuba, on January 3.
Cuba said the attackers were Cuban exiles who had come from the United States to cause chaos and attack military forces.
A Cuban patrol of five Border Patrol agents in a 9-metre-long boat spotted the approaching vessel early in the morning about 1 nautical mile (about 1.85 kilometers) offshore from a remote strait on the Caribbean island’s north coast, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Marathon, Florida.
Cuba said the intruders fired at the patrol 185 meters away, hitting the captain in the stomach. The wounded captain, bleeding profusely, remained at the helm and steered toward the enemy ship, which ensued in a gunfight at a distance of about 20 meters.
Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the speedboat incursion was not a U.S. operation and no U.S. government officials were involved.
