American citizen among those killed in Cuba boat shooting, US official says

BBC World · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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1 hour agoGetty ImagesAt least one American citizen was shot dead and another injured by Cuban officials intercepting a speedboat off its coast on Wednesday, a US official has said.Border guards shot dead four people and injured the remaining six aboard the Florida-registered speedboat. Cuba accused the 10 people on the boat of planning "an infiltration with terrorist aims" and said they opened fire first.A third person was on a US K-1 visa - for fiancées of American citizens - the US official said. The boat's owner alleged the vessel had been stolen by an employee.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said Washington was investigating the "highly unusual" incident.Cuban authorities had said all 10 were Cuban nationals residing in the US.They also identified an 11th person they said had been arrested and had confessed to being part of the alleged plot.The interior ministry said earlier that the speedboat had entered its territorial waters and was "one nautical mile off Cayo Falcones" on the country's northern coast when it was intercepted.It said the commander of the Cuban boat was injured in the firefight that ensued.The Cuban authorities added that most of them had "prior records involving criminal and violent activity".Handguns, assault rifles and improvised explosive devices were recovered from the speedboat, along with other tactical gear, according to the statement.