Cuba says it’s speaking with US after deadly boat capturing however seeks extra particulars | EUROtoday

Cuba’s deputy overseas minister, Carlos Fernández de Cossío, stated Thursday that the island’s authorities is speaking with U.S. officers following the deadly capturing of a U.S. boat in Cuban waters.

He stated the Cuban authorities is keen to alternate data with U.S. officers, including that Cuba plans to ask them for data on the suspects concerned and what means they used to prepare the journey.

Cossío added that the U.S. authorities has proven willingness “to cooperate in clarifying the facts.”

Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior stated that on Wednesday morning, a Florida-registered speedboat carrying 10 armed Cubans from the U.S. opened hearth on troopers off the island’s north coast, and that troops responded, killing 4 suspects and injuring six others. One Cuban official additionally was injured, the federal government stated.

A U.S. official stated Thursday that at the very least one American citizen was killed and one other wounded within the incident.

The official, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of sensitivity of the continued investigation into Wednesday’s firefight, stated one other member of the 10-person crew was within the U.S. on a visa and several other others could have been inexperienced card holders.

The official stated the proprietor of the boat has alleged that it was stolen by one in every of his staff.

Cuba’s authorities has launched an inventory with the names of the alleged suspects and accused them of planning to invade the island and unleash terrorism.

Cossío stated authorities discovered assault and sniper rifles, pistols, night time imaginative and prescient tools, bayonets, camouflage clothes, fight rations, communication tools “and a large number of insignia from counterrevolutionary terrorist organizations.”

He added: “This information is still preliminary. More details will be provided in the coming days.”

On Wednesday night, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating the incident.

“The majority of the facts being publicly reported are those by the information provided by the Cubans. We will verify that independently as we gather more information, and we’ll be prepared to respond accordingly,” Rubio stated.

Cossío famous that Cuban authorities have repeatedly supplied the U.S. with data on individuals he asserted “have been involved in promoting, financing, and organizing violent and terrorist acts against Cuba.”

He famous that two of the boat passengers detained have been on that checklist “and enjoyed impunity within U.S. territory.”

“The Cuban government is still awaiting responses to requests for information about them and the other individuals and organizations included in the list issued,” Cossío stated.

He didn’t take questions from journalists on the press briefing.

Meanwhile, throughout Havana and past, the streets have been abuzz with opinions over what had occurred.

“What the hell,” stated 88-year-old avenue musician Efraín Scotland of the alleged try of 10 individuals to invade the island. “No, my friend, no, that’s not going to bring down a nation.”

Some, like 48-year-old development employee Roberto Henry Figueredo, praised the way in which Cuba defended itself.

“That hail of bullets that we unleashed was good,” he stated, including that if it have been to occur once more, Cubans would face up to the assault. “If they fire at us, we’re going to eat those bullets.”

People in Cuba and past awaited extra details about the motive behind the alleged tried boat journey to the Caribbean island.

Cuban political scientist Rafael M. Hernández advised reporters in a web-based briefing Thursday that many questions stay unanswered: “What were they doing? What were they looking for? Were they starting a liberation movement in Cuba? Were they trying to sabotage the Cuban economy?”

He described the alleged operation as “silly and counterproductive.”

However, some nervous that the capturing might worsen an already frayed relationship between Cuba and the United States, which has tightened sanctions.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump additionally threatened to impose a tariff on any nation that sells or supplies oil to Cuba, which depended closely on petroleum from Venezuela. But these shipments have been halted after the U.S. attacked the South American nation and arrested its then-leader.

Cuba has since imposed extreme fuel-saving measures.

“I expect things to get more tense,” stated 54-year-old Havana resident Rosa Larrondo, who described Wednesday’s capturing as “a violation of the sovereignty of the Cuban people.”

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Coto reported from San José, Costa Rica. Associated Press diplomatic author Matthew Lee in Washington, D.C. contributed.