Cuba reports fifth death from US speedboat shootout

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Cuban authorities said Thursday that a fifth crew member of a US-flagged speedboat involved in a shootout with the coast guard last week has died of his wounds.

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Prosecutors have filed terrorism charges against the surviving crew members of the boat, suspected of trying to bring weapons to Cuba in hopes of destabilizing the communist government in Havana.

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One of the six survivors, identified as Roberto Alvarez Avila, “died on March 4 from wounds he received,” the interior ministry said in a statement on state TV.

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The shootout occurred on February 25 when a coast guard boat approached the vessel to demand identification, and the crew responded by opening fire.

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The Cuban coast guard shot and killed four other people aboard the boat, which came within one nautical mile of the Caribbean island’s shores.

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Cuban officials say the speedboat, registered in the United States, was carrying firearms of various calibers, including 14 rifles, 11 pistols and nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition.

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The interior ministry added the investigation into the incident was advancing with the cooperation of US authorities, “including evidence sharing and other joint actions.”

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At least two of those aboard the speedboat were US citizens, one of whom was killed.

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US President Donald Trump’s administration has made no secret of its desire for regime change in Cuba, imposing an energy blockade after the ouster of leftist autocrat Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, which was the communist island’s top supplier of oil.

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AFP

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