By Dave Sherwood
HAVANA, April 1 (Reuters) – A technical team from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation arrived in Cuba this week to launch an “independent investigation,” the U.S. Embassy in Havana said on Wednesday, following an incursion by 10 Cuban exiles accused of provoking a deadly shootout at sea with the island`s border patrol.
On February 25, 10 Cuban nationals tried to enter Cuba by speedboat at night, armed with nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition, 13 rifles and 11 pistols, Havana has said.
Five were killed in the shootout that ensued. The others, who were wounded, are in Cuban custody and receiving medical attention, Cuba said.
The U.S. Embassy said in a statement the FBI trip to Cuba was part of a “thorough and independent investigation” into the incident.
An embassy official told Reuters the U.S. would verify Havana’s version of events.
“Consistent with U.S. policy, we do not make decisions in the United States on the basis of what Cuban authorities are saying,” the official said. “We will independently verify the facts and make decisions based solely on U.S. interest, U.S. law, and the protection U.S. citizens.”
Tensions have soared between the two nations since January, when U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a virtual oil blockade on the island after capturing and ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a crucial Cuban benefactor, on January 3.
Cuba said the assailants were Cuban exiles, some of whom had been previously identified as accused terrorists, who came from the United States with the intent to sow chaos and attack military units.
A Cuban patrol of five border guard members on a nine-meter boat spotted the incoming vessel early that morning about one nautical mile off a remote channel on the Caribbean island’s northern coast, some 100 miles (160 km) from Marathon, Florida.
The infiltrators fired on the patrol from 185 meters away, striking the captain in the abdomen, Cuba said. Bleeding heavily, the wounded captain remained at the helm and steered toward the enemy vessel, leading to a firefight at a distance of about 20 meters.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the speedboat incursion was not a U.S. operation and that no U.S. government personnel were involved.
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood, Editing by Franklin Paul)
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