A US citizen who was one of those killed by the Cuban Coast Guard in a shootout had wanted to liberate the communist nation, officials said.
On Thursday, Cuban authorities confirmed the identity of the US national after its forces shot at a suspicious speedboat on Wednesday, saying four people on board had been killed and another six injured.
The incident occurred at a time when tensions between Washington and Havana continue to escalate as the US seeks to overthrow the Cuban government.
Cuba has vowed to defend itself against any form of “foreign-sponsored attempts or terrorism” aimed at changing or overthrowing the existing government.
The tensions continue to spike despite Cuba’s Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio saying that Washington had "expressed willingness to cooperate in clarifying these regrettable events."
Havana's official stance remains firm that all those killed and injured in the boat incident were Cuban nationals living in the United States, with one American on board.
A political ally of one of those killed, Michel Ortega Casanova, said that "his goal was to go and fight against a criminal and murderous narco-tyrannical government, and see if that would spark the people to rise up," according to Wilfredo Beyra, head of the Cuban Republican Party in Tampa, Florida.
Authorities in Cuba later announced that the vessel had come under fire from the speedboat, leaving no choice for the coast guard personnel but to retaliate. The response from the US government was surprisingly muted.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was on a Caribbean visit, said that Washington was conducting its own investigation and would "respond accordingly".
He said that the United States government had no hand in the confrontation between the Cuban coast guard and the alleged speedboat. The latest clash comes at a time when Cuba reels from the US economic pressure.
US President Donald Trump has branded Cuba a “failed state and an extraordinary threat” to US national security, though he has so far rejected launching a regime change operation.
Also read: Cuba says 4 killed in shooting on US boat, flags infiltration bid
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