Russia, US condemn attack on Cuba embassy in Washington DC
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US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller says the State Department was coordinating with Washington police in the investigation.
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The Cuban flag is hoisted outside the embassy in Washington, on July 20, 2015 (AFP)
The United States on Monday condemned the latest attack on Cuba's embassy in Washington, in which a man threw two Molotov cocktails at the mission.
Cuba's government described the incident Sunday night as a "terrorist attack". No one was injured, and no significant damage was reported.
"All attacks and threats against diplomatic facilities are unacceptable," US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
He continued, "We are in contact with Cuban embassy officials and, consistent with our obligations under the Vienna Convention, the department is committed to the safety and security of diplomatic facilities and the diplomats who work in them."
Miller said the State Department was coordinating with Washington police in the investigation.
Moscow also strongly condemned the attack on the Cuban Embassy in the United States, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday, adding that those responsible for organizing it must be punished.
"We strongly condemn the armed attack on the Cuban Embassy in the United States on September 24, on whose territory, as is known, two bottles of combustible mixture were thrown," Zakharova said in a statement, adding that "those responsible for its organization must be severely punished."
Moscow expects Washington to conduct a thorough investigation into all the circumstances of the attack on the embassy, the Ministry added.
On his part, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel demanded "action from the American authorities."
"Hatred once again last night caused a terrorist attack against our embassy in Washington, an act of violence and weakness that could have cost precious lives," Diaz-Canel wrote on X.
El odio lanzó anoche, otra vez, un ataque terrorista contra nuestra Embajada en #Washington, en un acto de violencia y de impotencia que pudo costar valiosas vidas.
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) September 25, 2023
Lo denunciamos y esperamos acción de las autoridades norteamericanas.#Cuba 🇨🇺
Cuba's Ambassador to the United States, Lianys Torres Rivera, stressed that the Embassy had "immediately communicated with United States authorities, who were given access to the mission to take samples of the Molotov cocktails."
On his part, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez indicated that "the anti-Cuban groups resort to terrorism when feeling they enjoy impunity, something that Cuba has repeatedly warned the US authorities about."
The attack took place hours after Diaz-Canel returned to Havana after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
It was the second attack against the Cuban mission in Washington in recent years after a man opened fire on the building in April 2020. There were no injuries from that attack either.
At the time, Cuba summoned the top US diplomat in Havana to deliver a protest over what was also described as a terrorist act.
US authorities arrested Alexander Alazo over the shooting, charging him with multiple offenses including "a violent attack on a foreign official or official premises using a deadly weapon," according to the US Justice Department.
It is noteworthy that the Cuban embassy reopened as a full mission in 2015 after a reconciliation bid by former US President Barack Obama, who saw that decades of US efforts to isolate the Caribbean island had failed.
However, his successor, Donald Trump, reversed most of Obama's overtures, and President Joe Biden mostly kept in place Trump's policy of pressure and continued to impose sanctions after Cuba witnessed Western-backed riots in July 2021.
Read more: G77 in Havana proves Cuba is not alone: Cuban presidential advisor
