A deadly confrontation at sea has left four men dead after Cuban authorities say a Florida-registered speedboat entered their waters and opened fire, triggering a shootout with the island’s coast guard.
One of the victims has now been identified as Michel Ortega Casanova, a Cuban-born U.S. citizen who had been living in the United States for decades.
According to officials in Cuba, the incident unfolded Wednesday when a speedboat carrying a group of men approached the island’s territorial waters. Cuban authorities say the boat crossed into restricted waters and the occupants began firing weapons, prompting Cuban forces to return fire.
The confrontation ended with four men dead and six others injured. The wounded individuals were taken into custody by Cuban authorities following the clash.
Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior of Cuba said the group was allegedly attempting a “terrorist infiltration” of the island. Officials claimed the men were heavily armed and carried assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights and camouflage uniforms.
Image Credit: Subhrajyoti07 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia.
Authorities also alleged that several people aboard the boat had prior criminal histories and were linked to activities related to violent or terrorist operations.
While the identities of the other three men killed have not yet been publicly confirmed, the Cuban government named six survivors who were wounded and detained during the gun battle. Their identities have not yet been verified by U.S. authorities.
Victim Consumed by ‘Obsessive’ Fight for Cuba
Ortega Casanova’s death has sent shockwaves through his family and the Cuban exile community in Florida. His brother, Misael Ortega Casanova, said the family had little knowledge of what his brother was planning before the fatal trip.
Speaking to Associated Press, he described his brother as someone who had become consumed by the idea of fighting for Cuba’s freedom.
He said his brother had fallen into what he described as an obsessive and almost diabolical pursuit of liberating the island from its communist government. According to him, the intensity of that belief may have driven Ortega Casanova and others to take extreme risks without fully considering the consequences.
“No one knew what he was involved in,” Misael said, adding that their mother has been devastated by the loss.
Victim was Florida Truck Driver and Cuban Exile
Ortega Casanova was born in Cuba but emigrated to the United States during the 1980s. He eventually became a U.S. citizen and built a life in Lakeland, Florida, roughly 35 miles east of Tampa, Florida.
Image Credit: Jose Luis Tan Estrada/Facebook.
According to relatives, he worked as a truck driver and maintained strong political views about the future of his homeland.
His brother told Telemundo 51 that the tragedy reflects a painful reality for many Cuban families.
“This fight needs to end,” he said. “Today it was my brother’s turn, and those who fell with him.”
Ortega Casanova leaves behind a wife, his mother, two sisters and a daughter who is expecting a child.
A Florida-based Cuban exile organization, Casa Cuba, described him as a patriot and said he was affiliated with the Cuban Republican Party.
U.S. Launches Investigation
Meanwhile, U.S. officials say they are working to determine exactly what happened on the water.
Image Credit: Avirup Chatterjee – CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will conduct its own investigation rather than rely solely on the account provided by Cuban authorities.
Rubio described shootouts at sea as highly unusual and said officials are still gathering facts about the boat, the people aboard and the events that led to the deadly exchange.
Vice President JD Vance confirmed that he had been briefed on the situation but said many details remain unclear.
For now, questions remain about what the group intended to do once they reached Cuban waters and how the confrontation escalated into a deadly firefight in the open sea.
As investigations continue on both sides, the incident is already adding another tense chapter to the long and complicated relationship between Cuba, the Cuban exile community in the United States, and the United States government.
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