The communist dictatorship of Cuba intercepted a civilian vessel from the United States and opened fire, murdering at least four crew members and leaving six injured, in an episode that raised tensions in the Caribbean.
The incident occurred one nautical mile from Cayo Falcones, in the province of Villa Clara, when Border Guard Troop forces detected the presence of the boat in "Cuban waters".
According to the account of the regime's Ministry of the Interior (Minint), the vessel was detected during the morning and received the order to stop for identification. According to the version released by the communist dictatorship, a surface unit with five personnel approached the speedboat to verify its origin. It was at that moment when, according to the Cuban authorities, the armed exchange took place that ended with fatalities and injuries.
The regime's official statement maintained that the patrol boat approached the ship with registration from the state of Florida, and that shots were fired from the foreign vessel at the border guards. "Fire was opened from the offending boat against the Cuban personnel, which caused the commander of the Cuban vessel to be injured", the authorities indicated.
