American among those killed on speedboat in Cuban waters, White House confirms

American citizens were on board a stolen speedboat that entered Cuban waters Wednesday, and at least one American was among four people killed by Cuba's coast guard after the boat's occupants allegedly opened fire on Cuban military personnel, the White House confirmed to CBS News on Thursday. The incident occurred approximately one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino canal in Cayo Falcones when Cuban Border Guard Troops approached the vessel for identification, according to Cuba's Interior Ministry, which claims the boat's occupants then began shooting, wounding the commander of the Cuban patrol boat. The vessel, which originated from Florida, was carrying ten people total, with four killed and six wounded and arrested by Cuban authorities. Cuba's government identified the deceased as Pavel Alling Peña, Michael Ortega Casanova, Ledián Padrón Guevara and Hector Duani Cruz Correa, while those arrested were named as Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara, Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, Amijail Sánchez González and Roberto Álvarez Ávila. Cuba's Interior Ministry alleged the boat's occupants were armed with assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights and camouflage uniforms, claiming they were attempting 'to carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes.' The U.S. official confirmed that at least one of the boat's occupants had a K-1 visa, which allows a citizen's fiancé to travel to the U.S. to get married, and others are believed to be legal permanent residents of the U.S. The boat's owner alleged that the vessel had been stolen by an employee, according to the official. Cuba's Embassy in the U.S. stated that two of the boat's occupants, González and Guevara, had been wanted by Cuba and were included in lists provided to U.S. authorities in 2023 and 2025 of people 'that have been subject to criminal investigations and are wanted by the Cuban authorities for their involvement in acts of terrorism,' alleging they 'enjoyed impunity within U.S. territory.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the U.S. government didn't have any information beyond what Cuban authorities had reported, stating that the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard and other agencies are investigating the incident. The incident comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries, with President Trump recently imposing new sanctions and tariffs on Cuba following an operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.