Those arrested on board the motorboat with a US registration number that entered Cuban territorial waters on Wednesday have confessed to intending to enter Cuba for terrorist purposes, said the Ministry of the Interior of this Caribbean country.

“It was found that a speedboat with the registration number FL7726SH from Florida, which was neutralized, was carrying 10 armed individuals who, according to the initial statements of those arrested, had the intention of entering [Cuban territory] for terrorist purposes,” the Cuban interior ministry said in a Facebook post.

All of the individuals arrested on the boat are Cubans residing in the US, and one of the killed is also Cuban, the Cuban interior ministry added.

“Most of them have a history of criminal and violent activity,” the Cuban interior ministry added in its statement, and noted that efforts are underway to identify the other three who were killed.

Also, the Cuban interior ministry reported that rifles, pistols, explosives devices, optical visors, and camouflage uniforms were seized from those arrested.