Cuba boat shootout details emerged this week after the brother of an American killed in the clash said the mission was driven by an “obsessive and diabolical” quest to free the island. The shootout left four dead and raised urgent questions about security, foreign policy, and accountability.
Michel Ortega Casanova, a truck driver who lived in the United States for more than two decades, was among 10 passengers aboard a Florida-registered vessel that allegedly opened fire on Cuban soldiers near Cayo Falcones. Cuban authorities intercepted the boat roughly a mile off the island’s north coast. Four people died, and six others were injured.
Ortega Casanova’s brother, Misael, told The Associated Press that his sibling had an “obsessive and diabolical” pursuit for Cuba’s freedom. “Only us Cubans who have lived over there understand [the great suffering],” he said. Misael added that “no one knew” about the plan and that their mother is “devastated.” He said, “They became so obsessed that they didn’t think about the consequences nor their own lives.”
Cuban officials claimed some passengers had histories of criminal or violent activity. Cuban politician Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said a “rigorous investigation” is underway. “Cuba has had to face numerous terrorist and aggressive infiltrations originating from #EEUU since 1959, at a high cost in lives, injuries, and material damage,” he wrote. “The defense of Cuba’s coasts, of the national territory, and of national security is an ineludible duty.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S. officials are working to determine the status of those involved. “Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that,” Rubio said. Vice President JD Vance added, “Hopefully it’s not as bad as we fear it could be.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stated, “The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable.”
