Southeast
Gabby Petito told her ex she was scared to leave Brian Laundrie but wanted to, just before murder: new doc
Days before her murder in the Wyoming wilderness, Gabby Petito told her ex-boyfriend she was planning to leave Brian Laundrie but was afraid of how he might react, the ex revealed in a new docuseries, which is the first project on the case involving her friends and family.
“American Murder: Gabby Petito,” on Netflix unveils previously unseen text messages from Petito, Laundrie and other figures central to the case, including the killer’s mother, Roberta. It also includes new interviews with her parents and stepparents, as well as revelations from her former boyfriend, Jackson, and other close friends.
Filmmakers Julia Willoughby Nason and Michael Gasparro, who are both directors and executive producers on the project, said they felt a heavy responsibility to handle her story with care, in an interview with Fox News Digital shortly before its release.
GABBY PETITO URGED BRIAN LAUNDRIE TO ‘STOP CRYING’ IN LVOE LETTER TO HER KILLER RELEASED BY FBI
While their social media told one story, there was a dark side beneath the cross-country road trip of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie, pictured here in “American Murder: Gabby Petito.” (Courtesy of Netflix)
“It’s really important to make sure that we have the people that were directly involved in it being part of the doc,” Gasparro said. “The family is at the start of this.”
Petito’s parents had seen their prior work and agreed to have them make the docuseries after meeting in person. The family turned over her journals, artwork – and text messages that revealed a dark layer beneath the relationship between Petito and Laundrie in the lead-up to and during their cross-country road trip.
“Looking at her text messages with Brian for the first time, knowing that he had murdered her was haunting because it was like the manipulation… was very subtle,” Nason said. “And I think that we’re hoping that this series can show the subtlety of intimate partner abuse, especially among young people.”
Against that backdrop, an exclusive new interview with Petito’s prior boyfriend, Jackson, reveals she wanted to escape and was afraid of what might happen if she left Laundrie.
GABBY PETITO’S MOM FORGIVES KILLER BRIAN LAUNDRIE, CALLS OUT ‘EVIL’ ROBERTA: ‘YOU DESERVE TO BE FORGOTTEN’
“She wasn’t sure of what he would do, or what he could do,” he told Nason and Gasparro.
Jackson, Gabby Petito’s ex-boyfriend from before Brian Laundrie, pictured on the set of “American Murder: Gabby Petito.” (Courtesy of Netflix)
Days after the couple narrowly avoided arrest in a public domestic violence incident in Moab, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2021, Laundrie flew home to Florida and left Petito in Salt Lake City.
While alone, Petito contacted her ex, the docuseries reveals. She confided in him that she wanted to leave Laundrie but was scared of how he might react.
BRIAN LAUNDRIE ARGUED IN WYOMING RESTAURANT HOURS BEFORE GABBY PETITO VANISHED: EYEWITNESSES
By Aug. 27, 2021, Laundrie had returned to the road trip and the couple arrived in Jackson, Wyoming. Petito again texted her ex-boyfriend, saying the town’s name reminded her of him.
A view from the entrance of Bridger-Teton National Park in Wyoming on Sept. 19, 2021, shortly after Gabby Petito’s remains were recovered nearby in the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Ground. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
That same day, witnesses told Fox News Digital they saw the couple at the Merry Piglets Tex-Mex restaurant, and Laundrie was arguing with female staff. While some experts have speculated the confrontation was a catalyst for Laundrie’s rage just hours before Petito’s murder, the couple’s text messages shed new light on what happened inside.
“Ask for the check and tell her that the smell made me sick… idk the chicken wasn’t right. I actually don’t feel good… gonna be a min,” Petito wrote to Laundrie.
“Okay. I got the check, should I wait for you, should I get a to go box?” he replied.
BRIAN LAUNDRIE’S PARENTS ADMIT BEING WORRIED ABOUT GABBY PETITO’S WELL-BEING WHEN HE CALLED DAYS AFTER MURDER
“I don’t want to pay for food that made me sick.”
Witnesses told Fox News Digital they believed Laundrie was arguing with staff about money and said he left and returned four times.
Gabby Petito poses for an Instagram photo in Bryce Canyon National Park. (Family of Gabby Petito)
Petito was last seen alive later that afternoon on surveillance video at a nearby Whole Foods.
She tried to call her ex, the docuseries revealed, but he said he was at work and couldn’t pick up.
In one of her last known messages, she told her mom, Nichole Schmidt, that she might do better on her quest to become a van-life video blogger without Laundrie dragging her down, and that he had agreed to camp out in the woods that night as she slept in the van.
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
“American Murder: Gabby Petito” began streaming on Netflix Monday. It includes additional details, videos and photographs that had previously only been known to her family and the FBI, as well as the text messages between Petito and her killer directly. It also includes video exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital from the morning Laundrie’s remains and waterproof bag were discovered in the Florida park where he took his own life.
Separately, Fox News Digital has obtained what the FBI said is its final disclosure of Laundrie-related material – and the documents reveal another unnamed witness to the Moab domestic assault just two weeks before Petito’s murder.
Brian Laundrie as seen in bodycam footage released by the Moab Police Department in Utah. (Moab Police Department)
BRIAN LAUNDRIE HIRED WYOMING LAWYER WHO DEFENDED BIN LADEN BODYGUARD IN GUANTANAMO
The unnamed man told an FBI agent he saw the couple in Moab on Aug. 12, 2021, while driving his family on a trip from Denver, Colorado, to Las Vegas, Nevada. He passed a white Ford Transit van and thought he saw a man inside slap a woman. He was so concerned that he pulled a U-turn and parked across the street to keep an eye on things.
The male in the van “‘acted like a lunatic,’ sporadically opening and slamming doors and pacing around the van. He seemed to be pleading with the female and at one point may have tried to hug the female, but was pushed back by her. The male ultimately pushed the female’s legs into the passenger side of the van, closed her door, and entered the driver’s side,” according to FBI records. The witness then said both of them started crying.
Read the FBI’s notes from previously unknown Moab witness
He said he thought about intervening or calling 911 but eventually decided not to. He had called 911 earlier the same day after a near collision on the road into town. He said he contacted the FBI in September after he and his daughter saw news coverage of Petito’s disappearance.
Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, said she had not previously known about this witness and would be interested in speaking with him.
SIGN UP TO GET THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
“[I] wish we could get a hold of this person,” she told Fox News Digital. “I would love to ask questions.”
By virtue of the widespread attention it received, Gabby Petito’s story has already helped saved lives, according to people who have contacted her parents and told them they were inspired to escape abusive relationships. At one point in the series, her friend Rose says she left a relationship of her own.
“This is how the foundation is helping,” Gasparro said. “They’ve become a resource for people like this.”
Chris and Roberta Laundrie in the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on the morning police discovered their son’s skeletal remains. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
Following Petito’s murder, her parents started the Gabby Petito Foundation to advocate for domestic violence victims and missing persons. They have also lobbied for new laws to protect victims in at least three states, as well as in Washington, D.C.
They are currently asking for the public’s help solving another woman’s suspicious disappearance out of Redding, California.
Nikki McCain, 39, was last seen on May 17, 2024, driving a gray Chevy Avalanche, according to the Redding Police Department. The vehicle, bearing California plate DP154UT, was recovered more than a week later in Tehama County, but McCain’s whereabouts remain unknown.
GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
Nikki McCain vanished in Redding, California, on May 17, 2024. Gabby Petito’s family is urging anyone with information on her whereabouts to come forward. (Redding Police Department)
Her husband had been accused of felony domestic abuse, false imprisonment and criminal threats months earlier, court records show. That case was dismissed in July because the missing victim was unable to testify.
“A lot of the time, you can’t charge a guy if there’s no body,” Petito’s father, Joe Petito, told Fox News Digital. “That’s what we went through with Brian. They couldn’t charge him because Gabby wasn’t found.”
By the time she was, he had slipped away and killed himself, leaving behind a confession and suicide note in a waterproof bag, as first reported by Fox News Digital.
“This is something that should be shouted from the rooftop: Help that family find her safe and sound, or bring whoever’s responsible to justice, one of the two,” Petito said. “The fact that there’s prior domestic violence does raise some red flags, but we don’t want to jump to conclusions.”
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office has announced a $30,000 reward for information that helps them locate McCain.
Anyone with information is asked to call 530-245-6135 or email the major crimes unit at MCU@shastacounty.gov.
A press conference is held by Gabby Petito’s family in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 3, 2022. (Fox News Digital)
“We’ve gotta let the authorities do their due diligence and see where it leads them, but any information anyone has, please come forward,” Petito said.
Fox News’ Stephanie Nolasco and Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.
If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233 (SAFE).
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Trump, BBC agree on mediator for $10 billion lawsuit over Jan 6 documentary editing controversy
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump and The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) agreed on a mediator on Tuesday to help resolve the president’s $10 billion lawsuit.
The BBC has come under intense scrutiny over a 2024 Panorama documentary about Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech delivered before the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Critics called the documentary misleading because it omitted Trump’s call for supporters to protest peacefully. Trump sued the BBC in December for both defamation and for a violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act for $5 billion apiece, seeking $10 billion total.
While ABC and CBS have both settled lawsuits with Trump in the past year, the BBC has vowed to fight the case. The two sides agreed on John W. Thornton, Esq., to serve as a pretrial mediator, who will seek a resolution.
President Donald Trump and The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) agreed on a mediator on Tuesday to help resolve the president’s $10 billion lawsuit. (Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)
“The BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally and deceitfully editing its documentary in order to try and interfere in the Presidential election. President Trump will continue to hold accountable those who traffic in lies, deception, and fake news,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team told Fox News Digital.
The BBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump’s suit, filed in the Southern District of Florida Federal Court, was filed in a personal capacity and named the BBC and BBC Studios Productions as defendants. The parties have proposed a mediation session the week of Oct. 26. Mediation, a standard case management step required by the court, is contingent on the outcome of a jurisdictional challenge the BBC is expected to submit later this month.
“As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings,” a BBC spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
LEGAL ANALYST PREDICTS TRUMP COULD WIN ‘CONSIDERABLE’ DAMAGES FROM BBC DOCUMENTARY LAWSUIT
President Donald Trump has tangled in the courts with several media organizations. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
The BBC previously issued an apology for the erroneous edit and said it had pulled the program from its platforms, but a spokesperson for the broadcaster added, “While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.”
The controversy began with a bombshell report from The Telegraph that featured excerpts from a whistleblower dossier compiled by Michael Prescott, a communications advisor hired by the BBC to review its editorial standards.
The whistleblower revealed that the BBC “Panorama” documentary released in 2024 had a misleading edit of comments Trump made at the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The documentary omitted Trump urging his supporters to protest “peacefully” and instead spliced two separate comments made nearly an hour apart, making it appear he was calling for violence.
“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol. And I’ll be there with you. And we fight — we fight like hell,” the documentary showed Trump saying, with no indication the statements came far apart.
EX-BBC DIRECTOR GENERAL TELLS NETWORK THEY SHOULDN’T AGREE TO PAY TRUMP ANY MONEY
In reality, Trump said, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol. And we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong.” It was 54 minutes later that Trump called on his supporters to “fight like hell” for election integrity.
The New York Times referred to the ordeal as “one of the worst crises in its 103-year history” of the BBC. The blunder led to the resignations of BBC News CEO Deborah Turness and BBC director-general Tim Davie.
Turness insisted in an interview last week that the BBC does not have any institutional bias against Trump.
Trump’s legal team suggested the defendants “timed the publication of the Panorama Documentary to be close in time to the 2024 Presidential Election” and the value of the president’s “personal brand alone is reasonably estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars.”
Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Police warned prosecutors 3 times about violent illegal immigrant before he allegedly killed Virginia mother
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Newly uncovered emails show the Fairfax County Police Department warned the county’s commonwealth attorney about a criminal illegal migrant with more than 30 previous arrests at least three times before he allegedly stabbed a mother to death in the Washington, D.C., area.
Abdul Jalloh, 32, was charged with murder after allegedly stabbing 41-year-old Stephanie Minter to death at a bus stop in Fairfax County, Virginia, in late February.
Jalloh, an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone in West Africa who had lived in Virginia since the age of 9, was arrested at a liquor store one day after the stabbing when an employee called 911 to report Jalloh was shoplifting.
Abdul Jalloh, 32, is accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a Virginia bus stop. (Fox 5 DC)
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Jalloh entered the country in 2012 and has more than a dozen arrests in northern Virginia.
His criminal history includes more than 30 arrests for charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft, trespassing, larceny, firing a weapon, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and pick-pocketing, yet his charges were dropped by local prosecutors almost every time, according to DHS.
Emails obtained by WJLA showed the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) warned Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office about Jalloh on at least three occasions, but no action was taken to remove him from the country.
In an email to Fairfax County Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Jenna Sands, a Fairfax County police major said he wanted to bring Jalloh’s release to her attention because he “is one of the repeat (and violent) offenders” they had previously discussed.
Abdul Jalloh on a bus in Virginia (Fairfax County Police Department)
DHS RIPS DEM-RUN COUNTY AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDERER RELEASED: ‘BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS’
“I wanted to get your background on why he is out so soon and ask if his prior suspended sentence (of I believe 5 years) was pursued by your office? Unfortunately, based on MTV Station’s numerous dealings with him, it is not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again. My role of keeping the public safe, prompts me to follow up on his status,” the major wrote.
In another email discussing a bond alert from August 2025, a FCPD employee told Assistant Police Chief Brooke Wright that Jalloh had more than 100 incidents with FCPD resulting in multiple charges spanning from theft to violent crimes, according to the outlet.
“JALLOH’s offenses began with domestic violence incidents and escalated to assaulting other victims and threats with weapons (knives),” the employee wrote in the email. “He has been involved in multiple stabbing incidents with victims identifying him as the offender in these cases. This year JALLOH has been the offender in a malicious wounding where he stabbed a man in May 2025, in which he received a bond on July 31, 2025 — three weeks later, this incident occurred where he assaulted an older male and stomped his head into the ground.”
PRO-POLICE GROUP ASKS DOJ TO PROBE SOROS-BACKED VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR USING BIDEN-ERA LAW ONCE AIMED AT COPS
The employee added a list of Jalloh’s criminal history to the email, which included:
2014: Assault on family member (nolle prossed)
2015: Assault on family member (nolle prossed)
2017: ID theft to avoid arrest (guilty)
2017: Assault (guilty)
2018: Possession of marijuana (guilty)
2018: Destruction of property (guilty) — Original charge: malicious shoot/throw occupied building
2018: Contributing to the delinquency of a minor (nolle prossed)
2018: Rape (nolle prossed)
2018: Grand larceny (nolle prossed)
2022: Trespassing (nolle prossed)
2023: Trespassing (guilty)
2023: Disorderly conduct (guilty)
2023: Possession of a schedule three substance (guilty) — Original charge: possession of a schedule one or two substance
2023: Malicious wounding (nolle prossed)
2023: Malicious wounding (guilty) — Sentenced to seven years, with five years suspended to probation
2023: Stealing property from a person (nolle prossed)
2024: Petit larceny (nolle prossed)
2024: Trespassing (nolle prossed)
2024: Petit larceny (nolle prossed)
2024: Disorderly conduct (nolle prossed)
2024: Malicious wounding (nolle prossed)
2024: Failure to appear in court (dismissed)
2025: Malicious wounding
*Nolle pressed refers to a prosecutor’s formal decision to drop criminal charges.
In response to the email, Wright said Sands “had a specific conversation regarding them prosecuting without a victim in court for the stabbing given the circumstances, and she was on board with a victimless prosecution.”
In a May 2025 email obtained by WJLA, police emailed Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office — including Sands and other prosecutors — warning that Jalloh “has a history of stabbing community members and was on probation during the most recent assault.”
“For those reasons and the reasons outlined in the document, we ask that you argue he continues to be held at the ADC,” an officer wrote.
The email also explained a May 4, 2025, incident in which Jalloh allegedly stabbed a man in the leg while he was sleeping with his girlfriend.
“Without hesitation, the Victim stated that Jallow was the person who stabbed him. Jalloh has been charged with numerous Malicious woundings and been convicted of one in 2023 and [is] currently out on probation for the aforementioned crime and living in an OAR provided motel room,” the officer wrote.
OAR is a nonprofit in Fairfax County that provides “alternatives to incarceration” for criminals.
VIRGINIA MURDER SUSPECT IN BUS STOP STABBING HAD LENGTHY CRIMINAL HISTORY, MULTIPLE DROPPED CHARGES
Similar to the other email, the officer included a list of prior police involvement, including an incident from April 14, 2024, during which Jalloh allegedly stabbed a homeless man in the head and upper body while he was sleeping at a bus stop, telling him, “get up, you can’t sleep here.”
Later that same day, Jalloh allegedly stabbed a woman in the head after attacking her and stealing her money, according to the email.
Other incidents included Jalloh allegedly choking a woman, stomping on her, burning her chest and raping her in October 2018, stabbing a person inside a McDonald’s in January 2023 and stabbing an elderly man in February 2023.
The email also said police had a record of 178 incidents, citing Jalloh as a known shoplifter and noting he “is often intoxicated/high and located w/narcotics on his person.”
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has said DHS would need to provide a signed judicial warrant from a local judge to ensure that Jalloh is deported. (Department of Homeland Security/Getty Images)
“DANGER This individual has a long history of stabbing community members and is currently on probation for doing that very thing,” the officer wrote. “He has shown a blatant disregard for human life and is a danger to the community.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said his department “respect[s] the criminal justice system and the distinct roles and responsibilities of each entity within it.”
“In previous cases involving this defendant, our officers and detectives conducted thorough investigations, made lawful arrests, and presented evidence for prosecution,” Davis wrote. “The court outcomes are in no way related to any shortcomings associated with the FCPD. This defendant must be held accountable for his actions. We remain committed to our role to ensure that happens.”
DEM GOVERNOR UNDER FIRE AFTER ILLEGAL ALIEN ALLEGEDLY STABS WOMAN TO DEATH AT BUS STOP: ‘HEINOUS’
Despite Jalloh’s criminal history and the recent killing of Minter, Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said she would not honor a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer, which is a written request for law enforcement to maintain custody of a person for up to 48 hours after their scheduled release to allow for transfer to ICE custody.
A governor’s spokesperson told WJLA that DHS would need to provide a signed judicial warrant from a local judge to ensure that Jalloh is deported.
“Sanctuary [Gov. Abigail Spanberger] is fighting to protect a MURDERER over American citizens,” DHS wrote in an X post. “This monster is responsible for fatally stabbing Stephanie Minter. ICE does NOT need judicial warrants to make arrests.
“The heroes of ICE will continue to arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens across the Commonwealth while Governor Spanberger RELEASES them from jails into Virginia communities to commit more crimes and create more victims.”
In early February, Spanberger ended cooperation with state agencies and federal immigration authorities through an executive directive, claiming she had “serious concerns that chaotic federal law enforcement actions across the country are eroding years of trust,” adding immigration enforcement “contributes to a culture of fear and distrust.”
A Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office spokesperson told Fox News Digital the office “was aware of Jalloh’s criminal history and shared police concerns about potential future dangerousness. That is why our Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney personally handled these cases.”
The spokesperson said prosecutors “will often explore many different pathways to successful prosecution, but, at the end of the day, our decisions are constrained by what testimony is available and what is legally permissible and practicable in Fairfax courts.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Spanberger’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Family member of American killed by Cuban forces in boat shootout says he was on ‘diabolical’ mission
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The brother of an American citizen killed in a brazen boat clash with Cuban forces says his sibling was consumed by an “obsessive and diabolical” push to free the island and that “no one knew” what he was planning.
American citizen Michel Ortega Casanova, who worked as a truck driver, was one of 10 passengers on a Florida-registered boat that allegedly opened fire on Cuban soldiers in an attempt to infiltrate the island.
A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office incident report obtained by Fox News noted the boat’s owner reported it stolen Wednesday after hearing about the Cuba shootout on the news.
The owner, who did not speak English, told deputies his 24-foot vessel went missing, and he suspected an employee named Hector — who had two young daughters in Cuba — may have taken it.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed an incident involving Cuban forces and a speedboat Wednesday before returning to Washington, D.C., after meetings with Caribbean Community leaders at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Reuters)
Ortega Casanova, who lived in the U.S. for more than two decades, was one of four killed in the attempt. He is survived by his wife, mother, brother, two sisters, daughter and unborn grandchild.
Six other passengers, all Cubans living in the U.S., were injured. It is unclear if Hector was on board.
Ortega Casanova’s brother, Misael, told The Associated Press Wednesday that his brother had an “obsessive and diabolical” pursuit for Cuba’s freedom.
“Only us Cubans who have lived over there understand [the great suffering],” Misael said.
He said “no one knew” about his brother’s plans to infiltrate the island, noting their mother is “devastated.”
“They became so obsessed that they didn’t think about the consequences nor their own lives,” Misael said.
While Ortega Casanova’s family did not recognize any of the other passengers, Misael said, “maybe [the attempt] will justify that some day Cuba will be free.”
CUBA IS APPROACHING ITS BERLIN WALL MOMENT — AMERICA MUST HELP THEM BREAK THROUGH
Cuban Coast Guard forces reported an exchange of gunfire with a U.S.-registered speedboat Wednesday. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
He refrained from labeling the group heroes, describing the idea as “ignorance.”
Cuban officials said many of the boat passengers, who were intercepted roughly a mile northeast of Cayo Falcones, off Cuba’s north coast, had a known history of criminal and violent activity.
Passengers Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez were wanted by Cuban authorities for their involvement in the “promotion, planning, organization, financing, support or commission of actions carried out in the national territory or in other countries, in connection with acts of terrorism,” according to the government.
Cuban politician Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla posted to X after the incident, claiming a “rigorous investigation” is being conducted to clarify the facts.
CUBA IDENTIFIES 32 MILITARY PERSONNEL KILLED IN US OPERATION AGAINST MADURO REGIME IN VENEZUELA
“Cuba has had to face numerous terrorist and aggressive infiltrations originating from #EEUU since 1959, at a high cost in lives, injuries, and material damage,” Rodriguez Parrilla wrote in a post. “The defense of Cuba’s coasts, of the national territory, and of national security is an ineludible duty.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is working to determine whether the passengers were American citizens or permanent residents.
U.S. officials said at least two of the people on the bat were U.S. citizens, and another was on a U.S. K-1 visa — which is granted to fiancées of U.S. citizens for 90 days.
“We have various different elements of the U.S. government that are trying to identify elements of the story that may not be provided to us now,” Rubio told reporters in Basseterre, St. Kitts.
“Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time.”
Cuban officials said the vessel’s passengers were intercepted off the country’s northern coast. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto)
RUSSIA WARNS AGAINST ‘PROVOCATIVE ACTIONS’ AROUND CUBA AFTER 4 KILLED ONBOARD US-REGISTERED SPEEDBOAT
Rubio said the U.S. will verify the facts independently, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard are investigating.
Vice President JD Vance said he was briefed on the incident, and the White House is monitoring the situation.
“Hopefully it’s not as bad as we fear it could be,” Vance said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier said prosecutors will work with federal, state and law enforcement partners to start an investigation.
“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” Uthmeier wrote in a social media post.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
-
World1 week agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Wisconsin4 days agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Maryland5 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Florida5 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Massachusetts3 days agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Denver, CO1 week ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Oregon6 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling