A senior U.S. official confirmed to The New York Times between 8:46 PM and 9:16 PM UTC on February 25, 2026, that Florida-registered speedboat FL7726SH was a civilian exile flotilla extracting family from Cuba near Corralillo, not smuggling, amid a clash where Cuban forces reported killing four and wounding six after the boat fired first 1 nautical mile northeast of El Pino channel in Cayo Falcones territorial waters. Florida Attorney General directed the Office of Statewide Prosecution between 8:46 PM and 9:16 PM UTC to investigate with federal and state partners, stating the Cuban government cannot be trusted and pledging to hold them accountable, as posted on X. This follows Cuban Ministry of the Interior's note, reiterated by @EmbaCubaUS and @FMC_Cuba in prior statements, detailing that Border Guard Troops approached the vessel for identification when its crew injured the Cuban commander, prompting return fire with medical assistance provided to the injured. The New York Times live update cited the U.S. official's confirmation of the flotilla's purpose, directly countering one X post claiming human smugglers were involved. Cuban officials reaffirmed commitment to protect territorial waters as a pillar of national defense and sovereignty, with investigations ongoing per the ministry note. This develops prior reports of U.S. Rep. Carlos's X posts accusing Cuban forces of attacking and murdering the crew, contradicting Cuba's account that the boat fired first and injured their commander, as stated by MININT and the embassy earlier on February 25.
