DEVELOPING: Cuba's Embassy in the US stated between 7:46 PM and 8:16 PM UTC on February 25, 2026, that Border Guard Troops intercepted Florida-registered speedboat FL7726SH 1 nautical mile northeast of El Pino channel in Cayo Falcones territorial waters near Corralillo, where the crew opened fire first, prompting return fire that killed four and injured six, according to a Bloomberg report citing the government and the embassy's X account. The embassy detailed that a Cuban surface unit carrying five service members approached the violating vessel for identification when the confrontation occurred, reaffirming commitment to defend territorial waters while investigations continue, as posted via @EmbaCubaUS and echoed in a WarMonitor3 X post within the 29-minute reporting window. This follows U.S. Representative Carlos's X claim at 7:16-7:46 PM UTC that Cuban forces attacked the boat and murdered the crew in Corralillo waters, directly contradicting the embassy's account that the boat's crew fired first and injured the Cuban commander. Earlier MININT statements on February 25 confirmed the clash details, including medical assistance for the injured, amid prior La Tijera News reports of shots fired in nearby Playa La Panchita, Faro area between 5:15 PM and 6:46 PM UTC, with one Cuban official airlifted and the area under lockdown.
