Yesterday, the Cuban coastguard said it had killed four people and wounded six others aboard a US-registered speedboat that it said were armed and seeking to infiltrate the country.
Havana said all those on board the US boat were Cubans living in the United States, which has received several waves of emigration from the island since the 1960s.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed only that one US citizen was killed and another wounded in the incident.
Cuban authorities said a coastguard vessel came under fire from the speedboat around one nautical mile from Cuba’s north shore, adding that assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails and military-style gear were found onboard.
The response from the United States Government was muted.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was on a Caribbean visit, said Washington was conducting its own investigation and would “respond accordingly”.
– Agence France-Presse