A man who was killed on a speedboat from Cuba had lived in the US for 20 years and wanted “liberation” for Cuba, my brother said.

The brother of one of the men who was killed after taking a letter registered in the US speedboat in Cuban waters and accused of opening fire on the country’s border guards and said that his sibling is determined to overthrow the Cuban government.

Misael Ortega Casanova, the brother of Michael Ortega Casanova, told the Associated Press that his brother fell for the “total and corrupt” effort to free Cuba from its communist government. Cubans in America and Cuban Americans have long protested against the current Cuban government, accusing the island’s leadership of violating human rights.

“They were so carried away that they didn’t think about the consequences or their own lives,” Casanova said of his brother and the nine other men on board the boat.

The Cuban government said on Wednesday afternoon that a speed boat registered in Florida entered Cuban waters carrying weapons and 10 Cubans living in the US However, the White House confirmed to CBS News on Thursday that. at least one American was among the four killed by the Cuban guards after those on the boat allegedly opened fire at the Cuban forces. The news was first reported by Axios.

Four people died and six others who were on the boat, who were traveling from Florida, were injured and arrested, according to the Cuban Ministry of the Interior.

In addition to the American citizen who was killed, an American official confirmed to CBS News that at least one American citizen was among those arrested. At least one of the boat passengers had a K-1 visa, the official said, which allows the citizen’s fiancé to travel to the US to get married, and others are believed to be legal US residents, although it was unclear how many.

According to an official and incident report from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, the owner of the boat suspected that the boat had been stolen by an employee.

The group was suspected of planning a terrorist attack on the island, the Cuban government said, and had rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights and camouflage uniforms. Cuba’s Interior Ministry said all 10 passengers “have a known history of crime and violence.” The American official confirmed to CBS News that some of those on the boat have criminal records.

A speeding boat approached a border patrol boat and opened fire on it, the Cuban government said. The border police fired again, killing four people and injuring six other passengers. The six injured passengers were arrested and received medical attention, the Cuban government said.

“Cuba will defend itself resolutely and firmly against any terrorist violence and violence against its sovereignty and the stability of the country,” said President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Thursday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the US government has no other information than what Cuban authorities have said. He said the Department of Public Safety, the Coast Guard and other agencies are looking into the incident.

“We’re going to find out exactly what happened here and we’re going to respond accordingly,” Rubio said. In a separate news conference, Vice President JD Vance said the White House is monitoring the situation.

Tensions between the United States and Cuba have escalated recently, as President Trump puts it sanctions and new taxes in the Caribbean country after the the job of holding the former President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro.

The Cuban government on Thursday identified the four killed as Michael Ortega Casanova, Pavel Alling Peña, Ledián Padrón Guevara and Hector Duani Cruz Correa. The six injured and arrested were identified as Cristian Ernesto Acosta Guevara, Conrado Galindo Sariol, José Manuel Rodríguez Castelló, Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez, Amijail Sánchez González and Roberto Álvarez Ávila. Cuba also said on Thursday that in previous statements, it did not identify one of the men as Rolando Roberto Azcorra Consuegra, who said he was not involved.

The Cuban embassy in the US said on Thursday that the two people who were on the boat, Sánchez González and Cruz Gómez, were wanted by Cuba and included in the list provided by the US authorities in 2023 and 2025 of people “under criminal investigation and wanted by the Cuban authorities for their involvement in terrorist activities.” place.”

The United States has never publicly identified the boaters or commented on why they were in Cuban waters.

A seventh person, Cuban-born Duniel Hernández Santos, was arrested on the island of Cuba. He revealed that he was sent to the US “to ensure that they will enter armed,” said the Cuban Ministry of the Interior.

Casanova told The Associated Press that his brother, a former truck driver and US citizen who has lived in the US for more than 20 years, did not tell anyone about his plans. He was married, and his daughter was pregnant, Casanova said. Casanova told the AP that their mother was “devastated” by his death. He said he hoped that his brother’s death might bring about change.

Maybe it will explain that one day Cuba will be free,” he said.