Cuba says attacking speedboat had nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition

Record ID: 2358766

  • Title: Cuba says attacking speedboat had nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition
  • Date: 28th February 2026
  • Summary: VILLA CLARA, CUBA (FEBRUARY 27, 2026) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) MEDICAL STAFF ENTERING EMERGENCY SERVICES AT ARNALDO MILIAN CASTRO PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL WHERE SOME SURVIVORS OF ATTACK APPEAR TO BE IN CUSTODY AND RECEIVING MEDICAL CARE ARNALDO MILIAN CASTRO PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL LIGHTS IN WINDOWS OF ARNALDO MILIAN CASTRO PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL EMERGENCY SERVICE AT ARNALDO MILIAN CAS
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Cuba ammunition attack speedboat weapons
  • Location: HAVANA AND VILLA CLARA, CUBA
  • City: HAVANA AND VILLA CLARA, CUBA
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: Defence,South America / Central America,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA002931328022026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:A commando of Cuban exiles who intended to infiltrate Cuba on a speedboat was armed with nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition, 13 rifles and 11 pistols, Cuban officials said on Friday (February 27), providing new details about Wednesday's (February 25) deadly exchange of gunfire at sea.
    The government in Havana has said 10 Cuban nationals coming from the United States entered Cuban waters and opened fire on a border guard vessel, leading Cuban forces to return fire killing four and wounding six others, who were taken into custody.
    In an attempt to dispel doubts about its account to date, senior Cuban Interior Ministry officers displayed the captured armaments from the studio on a special television program, including bins full of at least some of the 12,846 recovered rounds.
    They also showed pictures of the vessels, each peppered with bullet holes from the firefight they said took place at a range of 20 meters (66 feet).
    The confrontation took place at a fraught moment in U.S.-Cuban relations, with U.S. President Donald Trump pressuring the island by imposing a virtual oil blockade after capturing and ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a crucial Cuban ally, on January 3.
    Cuba has identified the assailants as Cuban exiles, some of whom had been previously placed on a list of accused terrorists, who came from the United States with the intent to sow chaos and attack military units on the Communist-ruled island.
    U.S. politicians have expressed skepticism over Cuba's version of events. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said his government would independently investigate, adding that it was not a U.S. operation and that no U.S. government personnel were involved.
    Cuban officers said the infiltrators set out from Marathon in the Florida Keys on two vessels but ditched one at some point due to technical difficulties. They united on one speedboat, which a U.S. official said was reported stolen in Florida.
    Cuba said it recovered a drone, radios, knives, a portable power plant, bolt cutters and other material. They also found emblems of the November 30th Movement and People's Self-Defense, anti-communist groups that oppose the Cuban government.
    (Production: Alien Fernandez, Mario Fuentes)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2026. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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