00:00U.S. media outlets have published the first statements of individuals involved in the attempted armed incursion against Cuba in
00:07February 2026.
00:08The operation failed before reaching land.
00:10The incursion was intended to force an uprising and justify the U.S. military invasion.
00:15Let's see what the details reveal.
00:20Ten men.
00:21A fishing boat.
00:22Twenty-five weapons.
00:24A plan, land in Cuba, seize a police station, and incite an armed uprising to serve as a pretext for
00:30a U.S. intervention.
00:32They set sail from Marathon, Florida, on the night of February 24.
00:36However, mechanical failure delayed their arrival.
00:39At dawn, a Cuban lookout spotted the boat less than four miles off the coast.
00:44Border guards intercepted them.
00:45A shootout occurred.
00:47Five people died.
00:48Five were captured.
00:50The survivors spoke from prison.
00:51Jose Manuel Rodriguez, Christian Acosta, Leordán Cruz, and Conrado Galindo recounted how they were recruited via TikTok,
01:00trained on a Florida farm, and sent on a mission that one of the mercenaries described as madness.
01:06They face terrorism charges.
01:09Cuba accuses activist Maritza Lugo of financing and organizing the operation.
01:13She denies it.
01:14The FBI is investigating.
01:16Questions remain unanswered.
01:19Ten men, most of them Cubans, living in the United States, were recruited through TikTok.
01:24We will show you how a network of terrorist groups planned the failing coercion against Cuba using social media.
01:31Let's take a look.
01:32It all began with a TikTok video.
01:35The account, La Nueva Cuba, portrayed an imaginary post-communist Cuba, a supposed armed resistance, and calls for violent action.
01:42Jose Manuel Rodriguez sent a message.
01:45Raul Cuevedo responded.
01:47The next step was a 13-acre property in La Belle, Florida.
01:50According to the detainees, there was a makeshift shooting range there, located among pepper plants and sugarcane.
01:56The property was linked to Maritza Lugo, leader of the November 30 party.
02:00She admits giving one of the men access to the property, but denies knowing about the operation.
02:05Their accounts coincide on several points.
02:07They trained for months.
02:09They read books about the Navy SEALs.
02:11They watch Delta Force videos.
02:12They purchase their own weapons.
02:14But they disagree over who was leading the group and who was financing it.
02:17One detainee says he was threatened.
02:19Another says he regrets his involvement.
02:21And a third questions the use of armed struggle.
02:24The case sheds light on a network of terrorist groups.
02:27The November 30 party, Autodefensa del Pueblo, and the Cardamon Movement.
02:31All are based in Florida.
02:32All share the same objective.
02:34To topple the government of a sovereign country.
02:36Some distance themselves from the groups.
02:38While others remain silent.
02:41The February attempt at the incursion against Cuba is not an isolated event.
02:45It is the most recent chapter in a story that began more than 60 years ago.
02:50None of the previous attempts achieved their objective.
02:52The question remains, who finances these operations?
02:56Why do they never stop?
02:57Let's take a look.
02:59This is not the first time.
03:01Since 1960, the United States has either tolerated or financed paramilitary operations against Cuba.
03:08Bay of Pigs.
03:09Operation Mongoose.
03:10Alpha 66.
03:12Omega 7.
03:13Cubana de Aviación Flight 455.
03:16It's a history of violence and impunity spanning more than six decades.
03:20In 2023, Cuba thwarted another plot linked to the group New Cuban Nation in Arms.
03:25In 2025, Cuba warned of terrorist plans financed from the United States.
03:30Two of the February mercenaries were already on Cuba's national list of terrorism suspects.
03:34However, the United States never designated them as terrorists.
03:38After the clash, Cuba informed the Coast Guard and the FBI.
03:42In March, an FBI delegation traveled to Havana.
03:45They took fingerprints, DNA, and inspected the boat.
03:48However, according to the Cuban government, they never received the response.
03:52For every three messages sent by Havana, the FBI only responded once, as confirmed by the mercenaries await trial.
04:00Maritza Lugo could be tried in absentia.
04:02Meanwhile, the network of Cuban terrorists is fracturing.
04:05Social media continues to amplify calls for violence.
04:07The question persists, who really financed this operation?
