Cuban authorities have identified one of the four individuals killed in a maritime confrontation off the coast of Cuba as Michel Ortega Casanova, a U.S. citizen who had resided in the United States for more than 20 years.
According to his brother, Misael Ortega Casanova, Michel was a truck driver who left behind a wife, a pregnant daughter, their mother, and two sisters, one of whom remains in Cuba. Misael described his brother’s motivation as stemming from personal experiences of hardship in Cuba prior to emigrating.
“Only us Cubans who have lived over there understand,” Misael said in an interview with the Associated Press. He further characterized Michel’s pursuit as an “obsessive and diabolical” quest for Cuba’s freedom, noting that Michel did not inform family members of his plans beforehand.
Misael expressed that their mother is “devastated” by the loss and hoped it might contribute to positive change.
The confirmation marks the first verified instance of a U.S. citizen among the fatalities in the incident, which occurred on Wednesday afternoon.
The broader details of the event, as reported by Cuban officials, indicate that the confrontation took place when a speedboat registered in Florida, bearing the number FL7726SH, entered Cuban territorial waters approximately one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel in the Corralillo municipality of Villa Clara province, near Cayo Falcones. According to a statement from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior, a unit of five border guard troops approached the vessel for identification purposes.
The ministry claims that the occupants of the speedboat initiated gunfire, injuring the Cuban vessel’s commander. In response, Cuban forces returned fire, resulting in four deaths and six injuries among the 10 individuals on the speedboat.
The injured were evacuated, provided medical assistance, and are currently in custody, the statement added.
Cuban authorities have stated that all 10 people aboard were Cuban nationals residing in the United States. They allege the group was armed and intended to conduct an infiltration operation for terrorist purposes.
Items seized from the vessel included assault rifles, handguns, improvised explosive devices such as Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms.
In addition to the arrests on the boat, Cuban officials detained another individual on the island, identified as Duniel Hernández Santos, who they say was sent from the United States to assist with the operation and has since confessed.
The six survivors have been named by Cuban media as Amijail Sánchez González, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara, and Roberto Azcorra Consuegra. Among them, Sánchez González and Cruz Gómez are reportedly subjects of ongoing criminal investigations in Cuba related to activities involving the promotion, planning, or support of terrorism. The identities of the other three deceased individuals have not yet been released, as investigations continue.
U.S. officials have responded to the incident by vowing a thorough investigation and independent verification. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the event as “highly unusual” and confirmed that it was not a U.S. government operation, with no American personnel involved.
Rubio stated that the U.S. is gathering its own information, including through the embassy in Havana, to determine if any of the individuals were U.S. citizens or permanent residents and to clarify the circumstances.
“We have our embassy on the ground in Havana working this as we speak, asking for access to the people that were on those vessels, if they were American citizens or permanent residents,” the secretary told reporters from St. Kitts on Wednesday evening.
In addition, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that his office’s Statewide Prosecution unit is collaborating with federal, state, and local law enforcement to investigate the matter
“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” he said.
