Pavel Alling Peña, one of the four fatalities following the shooting against a speedboat off the Cuban coast, was a U.S. citizen, as evidenced by his social media posts and reports from U.S. media.
In November 2022, Alling shared on Facebook that he had passed his citizenship interview.
“It is an honor to be a citizen of this GREAT country. I am more than excited and happy about this achievement,” he wrote.
The medium Axios reported this Thursday, citing U.S. officials, that U.S. citizens were on board the 24-foot vessel involved in the deadly confrontation with the Cuban coast guard.
According to the report, at least one of the deceased was a U.S. citizen, and another U.S. citizen is among the injured, receiving medical attention in Cuba.
The incident left four dead and six injured, in an episode that has generated new tensions between Washington and Havana.
Cuban authorities identified the deceased as Pavel Alling Peña, Michael Ortega Casanova, Ledián Padrón Guevara, and Héctor Duani Cruz Correa.
U.S. officials told Axios that Washington has formally requested consular access to the six survivors as an independent investigation continues.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States government will not base its conclusions solely on the version provided by Havana.
The Cuban regime claims that the vessel violated territorial waters and that its occupants intended to carry out a "terrorist infiltration," alleging that weapons were seized on board.
Washington, for its part, continues to gather information while managing access to the survivors to clarify what happened.
Filed under: