The incident, described by the Cuban government as a "terrorist attack," occurred on Sunday night and fortunately resulted in no injuries.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller emphasized the unacceptability of any attacks or threats against diplomatic facilities, reaffirming the commitment to the safety and security of diplomatic missions and their personnel under the Vienna Convention. The State Department is actively cooperating with the Washington police in their investigation of the incident.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez took to social media to report the Molotov cocktail attack, characterizing it as a "terrorist attack." Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera confirmed that the embassy promptly contacted US authorities, granting them access to the mission for evidence collection related to the Molotov cocktails.
Notably, this attack occurred shortly after Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel returned to Havana following his participation in the United Nations General Assembly in New York, during which protests against his presence were documented.
Minister Rodriguez expressed concerns about the recurrence of such attacks, emphasizing that anti-Cuban groups resort to terrorism when they believe they can act with impunity. This situation has been repeatedly brought to the attention of US authorities by the Cuban government.
This incident marks the second attack on the Cuban embassy in Washington in recent years, with a previous shooting incident occurring in April 2020. Thankfully, there were no injuries in either attack. The earlier shooting resulted in damage to the embassy's exterior, including bullet holes in walls and columns, a damaged street lamp, and broken glass panes and moldings.
In response to the 2020 attack, US authorities arrested Alexander Alazo on multiple charges, including a "violent attack on a foreign official or official premises using a deadly weapon," according to the US Justice Department.
The Cuban embassy in Washington fully reopened following a reconciliation effort by former US President Barack Obama. However, subsequent administrations, including that of Donald Trump, reversed many of Obama's diplomatic initiatives, often influenced by anti-communist Cuban Americans.
