Cuba Accuses U.S. of Harboring Terrorists After Boat Raid
Cuban officials allege the United States allows terrorists to operate with impunity following a failed February boat incursion by armed exiles.
Cuban law enforcement officials alleged on October 19 that the United States allows terrorists to operate with impunity on American soil. The accusations follow a February 25 incursion in which 10 Cuban exiles attempted to enter the country by boat from the Florida Keys. The group carried 11 rifles, 15 handguns, nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition, and Molotov cocktails.
A gun battle during the raid left five exiles dead, while the survivors remain in custody facing terrorism charges. Cuban authorities claim the group intended to launch simultaneous attacks on police and border guard units in Matanzas to incite an armed uprising and trigger U.S. military intervention.
Edward Roberts, a Cuban prosecutor, stated that individuals and organizations within the U.S. provided the property, maritime transport, and weaponry used to carry out the acts. Authorities specifically accused Maritza Lugo Fernandez, leader of the Partido Democrático 30 de Noviembre, of organizing the plot and providing a training farm in Florida. Lugo Fernandez denied the allegations, calling them a lie. The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Embassy in Cuba did not respond to requests for comment.
