Cuban authorities have announced the arrest of a man who investigators say was helping a group of gunmen behind an attack on a Cuban border guard patrol boat. The incident, which occurred on February 25, 2026, in Cuban territorial waters, quickly became a new point of tension between Cuba and the United States.
According to the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, Duniel Hernández Santos, a citizen who was to be sent from the United States to logistically prepare an armed infiltration of the island, has been detained. Authorities say he has already confessed to his involvement. Havana says the investigation is continuing to shed light on the wider network of people involved in the operation.
The incident itself took place off the islet of Cayo Falcones in the province of Villa Clara. The Cuban Border Patrol intercepted a US-registered Florida fast boat approximately one nautical mile off the coast inside Cuban waters. When the patrol boat attempted to identify the vessel, the people on board opened fire, according to Cuban authorities, wounding the commander of the patrol unit. The border guards returned fire.
Four attackers were killed and six others were injured in the shootout. All were subsequently evacuated and hospitalized. The Cuban government said the group was armed with assault rifles, pistols, Molotov cocktails and tactical equipment and was planning an „infiltration for terrorist purposes“.
Havana also claims that some of the participants were previously wanted for violent activities against the Cuban state. The government says the incident demonstrates the growing security threats coming from abroad and the need to protect national sovereignty.
The United States has so far taken a low-key approach to the event. The US Coast Guard referred media inquiries to the State Department, which has launched its own investigation and stressed that Washington has no connection to the incident. U.S. officials also caution that most of the available information comes exclusively from Cuban sources and must be independently verified.
The clash comes at a time of deep economic crisis in Cuba and strained relations between the two countries. Analysts warn that such incidents could further complicate already fragile U.S.-Cuba relations and increase security tensions in the Florida Straits region, which has long been linked to migration and smuggling activities.
The investigation continues and both sides are now waiting for further confirmed information that could shed light on the real motive for the armed action and the possible international context of the case.
gnews.cz - GH
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