Rubio Vows Response After Lethal Cuba Maritime Incident

[ad_1] Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., are calling for an investigation after Cuban authorities allegedly opened fireplace on a U.S.-registered boat Wednesday, killing 4 folks in waters close to the island.

"We will discover out precisely what occurred right here, after which we'll reply accordingly," Rubio mentioned whereas attending a regional convention in St. Kitts and Nevis.

Rubio, who was born in Miami to Cuban immigrants, famous the rarity of such an incident, saying, "It's extremely uncommon to see shootouts in open sea like that. It isn't one thing that occurs each day. It is one thing, frankly, that hasn't occurred with Cuba in a really very long time."

Cuba's Inside Ministry mentioned the vessel got here inside 1 nautical mile northeast of a coastal city in central Cuba and opened fireplace on border officers when safety forces tried to establish these onboard.

The ministry mentioned the boat was carrying 10 armed Cubans who dwell in the USA and had been trying an "infiltration" of the island for "terrorist functions," in response to state media.

Cuban officers mentioned the wounded had been evacuated for medical remedy and defended the nation's actions.

"Within the face of present challenges, Cuba reaffirms its dedication to guard its territorial waters," the federal government mentioned on X, calling nationwide protection a pillar of its sovereignty.

Gimenez, a vocal critic of the Cuban authorities, condemned the incident.

"I'm calling for an instantaneous investigation into this bloodbath. United States authorities should decide whether or not any of the victims had been U.S. residents or authorized residents and set up precisely what occurred," he mentioned. "The regime in Cuba have to be relegated to the dustbin of historical past for its numerous crimes in opposition to humanity."

The taking pictures threatens to additional pressure already tense relations between Washington and Havana. U.S.-Cuba ties have remained fragile for years, marked by sanctions, diplomatic disputes, and long-standing political hostility because the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

The island nation sits 90 miles south of Florida, and maritime incidents have traditionally heightened tensions, significantly amid disputes over migration, safety, and alleged subversive exercise.