CUBAN authorities announced late on Wednesday that they had thwarted an armed infiltration through El Pino, a channel off the coast of Cayo Falcones island, Villa Clara province.

The Cubans were forced to retaliate when occupants of a speedboat coming from the United States opened fire, having been stopped by the Cuban Border Guard.

Cuba’s Interior Ministry said its soldiers had killed four people and wounded six others on the Florida registered speedboat, after it entered Cuban waters and opened fire, injuring one Cuban officer.

Assault rifles, handguns, homemade explosive devices (Molotov cocktails), bulletproof vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms were seized in the aftermath.

Among the participants arrested and identified through preliminary interrogations are Amijail Sanchez Gonzalez, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gomez, Conrado Galindo Sariol, Jose Manuel Rodriguez Castello, Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara and Roberto Azcorra Consuegra. Among those killed were Michel Ortega Casanova. 

Authorities say they are working to identify three other individuals involved, but all participants identified thus far are reportedly Cuban residents of the US. Mr Gonzalez and Mr Gomez were already wanted by Cuban authorities for their involvement in the promotion, planning, organisation, financing, support or commission of actions materialised in the national territory or in other countries, in the context of acts of terrorism.

The ministry added that Mr Santos has already confessed to his actions.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that he was made aware of the incident and said the US is now gathering its own information to determine if the victims were US citizens or permanent residents.

But Mr Rubio refused to speculate on what happened, saying that it could be a “wide range of things.”