US officials investigating after Molotov cocktail thrown at Cuban Embassy in Washington
By Jack Forrest and Patrick Oppmann, CNN
(CNN) — An investigation is underway after at least one Molotov cocktail was thrown at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC, Sunday night, though US officials say no one was hurt in the incident nor was significant damage done to the diplomatic outpost.
As of Monday morning, no arrest had been made, according to the Secret Service, which provides policing and protection functions to embassies and foreign missions in Washington, DC.
“Shortly after 8:00 p.m. last night, officials with the Embassy of Cuba contacted the US Secret Service Uniformed Division to report an individual who had thrown a possible incendiary device (molotov cocktail) at the building,” the US Secret Service said in a statement. “Officers responded swiftly to begin an investigation. There was no fire or significant damage to the building.”
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Cuba’s foreign minister, posted on X that the embassy had been the “target of a terrorist attack by an individual who launched 2 Molotov cocktails.” According to a statement from the Cuban Foreign Ministry, the person threw them “from the sidewalk over the perimeter fence of the facility, which hit the front wall of that diplomatic mission.”
“There were no injuries to the personnel who were present at that headquarters,” the statement continued. “At the request of the Cuban diplomatic mission, officers of the United States Secret Service arrived at the building and had access to its facilities to verify the violent action perpetrated.”
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the incident, posting that the violence “could have cost valuable lives.”
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday that “attacks and threats against diplomatic facilities are unacceptable,” adding that the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service is working with the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department to investigate the attack.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that the US “strongly condemns Sunday’s reported attack.”
“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,” he said.
CNN has reached out to DC police regarding the incident.
Lianys Torres Rivera, Chargé d’Affaires of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC, said the Embassy provided samples of the Molotov cocktails to US authorities investigating the attack, and Cuban officials said the Molotov cocktails failed to ignite.
CNN previously reported that an individual was arrested in April 2020 after opening fire on the building with an AK-47. No one was injured in that attack, though “there was considerable material damage,” according to the Embassy at the time.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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CNN’s Nikki Carvajal, Michael Conte and Andrea Cambron contributed to this report.
