Cuban embassy in the US targeted in molotov cocktail attack, termed a "terrorist attack"

Washington: The Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C., was subjected to an attack involving Molotov cocktails.

The incident occurred on Sunday night, with Secret Service officers responding to the incident on a busy street in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood of the city.

Cuba's Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, swiftly characterised the incident as a "terrorist attack." He provided details about the attack, stating that an individual had thrown two Molotov cocktails at the embassy. Fortunately, no harm was inflicted on the embassy staff.

Rodriguez Parrilla noted that this was the second violent attack on Cuba's diplomatic mission in Washington, with the previous incident occurring in April 2020. During that attack, an individual had fired several rounds at the embassy using an assault rifle. He expressed concern that anti-Cuban groups resort to terrorism when they believe they can act with impunity, a matter that Cuba has repeatedly alerted U.S. authorities about.

Molotov cocktails, often referred to as petrol or bottle bombs, are crude explosive devices consisting of a bottle filled with a flammable liquid and a wick that is ignited before being thrown. They derive their name from Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Union's foreign minister during World War II. These devices likely first saw use during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39).

The attack on the Cuban embassy occurred on the same day that Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel returned to Havana after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York and engaging in activities with Cubans in the United States.

Currently, no suspects are in custody in connection with the attack, and the incident is under investigation by the DC Police and the U.S. State Department.

The Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C., had reopened in 2015 when diplomatic ties between the two countries were restored after being severed in 1961.