1 year ago
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday condemned a reported attack on Cuba's embassy in Washington, D.C., involving at least one Molotov cocktail thrown at the building.
"The United States strongly condemns Sunday’s reported attack on the Cuban embassy in Washington, DC. Attacks against diplomatic facilities are unacceptable," Sullivan said in a statement. "We are in contact with Cuban embassy officials and law enforcement authorities to ensure an appropriate and timely investigation as well as to offer our support for future protective efforts."
The Secret Service responded to the scene on Sunday evening and stated that the building did not have significant damage. The embassy, which sits about 2 miles directly north of the White House in Washington's Adams Morgan neighborhood, resumed operations in 2015 after then-president Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with the country.
In a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Cuba's foreign minister, labeled the attack as "terrorism."
"The Cuban embassy in the US was the target of a terrorist attack by an individual who launched 2 Molotov cocktails. The staff suffered no harm," he wrote. "The anti-Cuban groups resort to terrorism when feeling they enjoy impunity, something that #Cuba has repeatedly warned the US authorities about."
Although the U.S. and Cuba have maintained official ties since 2015, their relationship remains tenuous. The U.S. maintains a trade embargo on Cuba and American attitudes toward the country have wavered depending on who holds the presidency.
Donald Trump unraveled many of the moves Obama originally made to better relations, including the restoration of a tourist travel ban. Joe Biden's administration later reversed some of the travel restrictions, but has contended with several controversies involving Cuba, including a recently reported Chinese spy base on the island.
In April 2020, Washington police arrested a man for opening fire on the Cuban embassy, damaging the building's exterior. No one was injured.
English (US)