By In a rare sign of cooperation between two longtime adversaries, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced Friday that agents from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation will travel to the island to assist with an investigation into a deadly February speedboat clash off Cuba’s northern coast.
Speaking during a press conference, Díaz-Canel said the arrangement had been coordinated through diplomatic and consular channels and would involve collaboration with Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior, according to Reuters.
“There is cooperation with our American counterparts, and we are awaiting a group of FBI experts to continue advancing this investigation,” Díaz-Canel said.
The case centers on a February 25 confrontation in Cuban territorial waters near Villa Clara province. According to Cuban authorities, Border Guard troops intercepted a Florida-registered speedboat carrying ten armed individuals—identified as Cuban nationals living in the United States—who allegedly fired first on Cuban personnel.
Officials say the exchange left one Cuban officer wounded. Cuban forces returned fire, killing four people at the scene and injuring six others. A fifth individual later died from his injuries on March 4, bringing the total death toll to five.
Havana has consistently described the episode as an attempted incursion from abroad, labeling it an “armed infiltration with terrorist aims.” Cuban officials claim the group was heavily armed and financed from U.S. territory with the goal of destabilizing the government.
American officials have confirmed that at least two of those involved held U.S. citizenship. Authorities in Florida have also opened their own inquiries after the vessel’s owner reported the speedboat stolen from a marina in the Florida Keys. Cuban-American lawmakers quickly condemned Havana’s handling of the incident, demanding further investigation.
The unusual FBI involvement comes as the Cuban government faces mounting pressure at home. The island is grappling with acute fuel shortages, rolling power outages, and a deepening economic crisis. Díaz-Canel recently acknowledged that Havana has also engaged in direct discussions with Washington to address ongoing disputes between the two countries.
Security cooperation between the United States and Cuba remains rare, given decades of strained diplomatic relations. Cuban officials portrayed the FBI visit as a limited and practical step meant solely to clarify the facts surrounding the February confrontation.
Outside Cuba, the announcement triggered immediate reaction among exile communities and anti-government activists online. Posts circulating on X interpreted the cooperation as a sign of weakness by the Cuban regime, with some users predicting the government’s imminent collapse or describing the move as a “preemptive surrender.”
The reactions followed other developments that have drawn attention among critics of Havana, including reports that Cuban authorities released 51 prisoners the previous night.
For now, officials on both sides have indicated the cooperation will remain narrowly focused on the speedboat investigation. Cuban authorities did not provide a timeline for the FBI team’s arrival, and neither government has suggested the move signals a broader thaw in relations.
But the moment underscores the unusual position facing Cuba’s leadership: a government confronting deep economic strain while cautiously opening limited channels of contact with the United States.
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