Cuba accuses US of failing to curb expat militancy

A shootout between the Cuban coast guard and armed men in boat allegedly stolen in Florida resulted in four deaths this week

The US has failed to curb militants on American soil seeking to overthrow the Cuban government, officials in Havana have said, commenting on a deadly shootout this week involving a boat allegedly stolen in Florida.

According to Cuban accounts, a patrol vessel intercepted a boat carrying armed individuals, who opened fire on the coast guard, prompting return fire. Four people were killed and six injured. US press reports suggest the group may have been part of a Florida-based anti-Castro insurgency, possibly infiltrated by Cuban security forces and ambushed en route to the island.

“This is not an isolated incident. Cuba has been the victim of attacks and countless terrorist acts for more than 60 years, most of which have been organized, financed, and carried out from the territory of the United States,” Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said in a statement on Thursday.

He said two perpetrators were on a list of suspected extremists Cuba shared with the US in 2023 and 2025, who “enjoyed impunity within US territory.” The official acknowledged the initial account mistakenly included the name of a person not on the boat.

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The error fueled speculation that Cuban authorities had foreknowledge of the group’s plans, the New York Times reported.

The individual in question, Roberto Azcorra Consuegra, a 31-year-old activist who fled Cuba in 2017, was interviewed in Miami after the incident. He is determined to topple the Cuban government using methods beyond “picket signs and slogans,” the NYT said. He called those listed by Havana “brave men.”

The boat was stolen in the Florida Keys, Axios reported, citing a sheriff’s report. The suspect, Hector Cruz Correa, was among those Cuban authorities said were killed. The owner told a deputy the man had “two young daughters who were still in Cuba.”

The administration of US President Donald Trump recently intensified the economic blockade of Cuba, worsening fuel shortages. Trump demands that Havana strike a deal with him or face continued pressure. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration would welcome fall of the Cuban government but will not necessarily act to bring it about.