Cuban Officials Accuse Miami Activist of Being Mastermind Of Fatal Boat Shootout Off The Country's Coast

In late February, the Cuban military said it engaged in a shootout with Cubans living in the United States who were aboard a boat that tried to enter its territory in what officials described as a "foiled armed infiltration."

The Cuban ministry said the people on the U.S.-registered vessel initiated the firefight, which took place about 1 nautical mile northeast of the El Pino channel off Cuba's north coast.

Now, new Cuban officials are linking the incident to an activist living in Miami as officials in Havana argue she was the mastermind behind the operation.

As reported by the Miami Herald, Maritza Lugo Fernández responded to rumors raised by the Cuban government, saying she has always been accused of terrorism, but those claims, she said, "doesn't mean that's what I am." She added that the same logic applies to the 10 people who were traveling in the boat that was attacked, whom the Cuban government claims were attempting to carry out a terrorist attack.

"They aren't terrorists What they are is extraordinary, good men, fathers," Fernández said. "Anyone who confronts the regimen, they accuse them of being terrorists."

A lifelong activist, former political prisoner and leader of the 30 de Noviembre Revolutionary Movement, Fernández was a prominent Cuban dissident in the 1990s until she was exiled in 2002.

Despite living far from her homeland, Fernández said she has never stopped fighting against Cuba's communist government. During a press conference at the Bay of Pigs Monument in Little Havana on March 8, Fernández said she will not stop fighting while the men detained after the deadly shootout remain imprisoned and charged with terrorism.

"God willing, and very soon we can embrace our brothers in a free Cuba," she said. "We have much hope now more than ever. This is the moment."

The attack came at a time when relations between Cuba and the United States are at their most strained point in decades. The Cuban government said members of the Cuban border guard seized assault rifles, handguns, improvised explosive devices, bulletproof vests and other equipment from the boat.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on social media that Cuba will continue defending itself against any "terrorist and mercenary aggression that seeks to undermine its sovereignty and national stability."

Despite the Cuban government labeling the individuals aboard the boat as terrorists, members of the 30 de Noviembre movement said they categorically reject those accusations.

As reported by the Miami Herald, the wife of one of the six men detained by Cuban officials said her husband had a strong desire to fight for what he believed was right.

"He is not a terrorist; he was a man who, like many in his time, took a stand in the midst of difficult moments in history," Seguí said. "Those of us who knew him know of his heart, of the values he defended. His story should not be told with hatred or labels, but with respect and truth."

As noted by NBC News, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will carry out an investigation to determine what happened, adding that a shootout in the open sea is "highly unusual" and that both the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating.

"It's not something that happens every day. It's something, frankly, that hasn't happened with Cuba in a very long time," Rubio said.