| Right wing, drug smuggling, anti-Castro exiles, based mainly in Miami, Florida, have worked at trying to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro for years, ever since right after he took power in 1959. Plots involving bombs, poisons, bullets, needles, diseases, the list of assassination attempts runs on for pages. The ends justified the means, whether it meant working with Mafia hit-men, or a variety of US government agents. Castro has repeatedly levelled charges accusing the US of harbouring known terrorists, even helping to finance and train them. While chilly US-Cuba relations seem to be to be in a state of thaw as the 20th Century draws to a close, there have been other instances in the past where overtures of peace were made behind the scenes to Cuba and Castro by US administrations, while simultaneously plans were under way to kill Castro. Castro has survived an estimated 600 assassination attempts. On December 8th 1999, 5 Cuban exiles, all between the ages of 60 and 70, were acquitted by a federal jury of conspiring to kill Castro during a 1997 summit on Venezuela's Isla Margarita. One juror, Amanda Collazo, was quoted by CNN (December 9th, 1999), saying: "We never decided if they were going to kill Castro or not. We decided that the government did not have enough evidence. That was it. It was all a question of doubt." This was the first time that the US government has put anyone on trial for conspiring to kill Castro. One of the defendants, Jose Antonio Llamas, who is a chairman of the rabidly anti-Castro, Miami-based 'Cuban American National Foundation' (CANF), told CNN after the acquittal: "We will never stop fighting. Now that we have beaten the largest country in the world, look out Mr. Castro. Here we go, in whatever way we can." Three of the defendants had been heading towards Isla Margarita on a yacht loaded with sniper rifles, night vision goggles, ammunition, radio and satellite navigation equipment. At the trial it was claimed that the weapons were needed to defend themselves from Cuban security as they assisted those Cuban who wanted to defect from the summit. One, Angel Alfonso, allegedly told Coast Guard officers that they were on the way to kill Castro, but defense lawyers put that down to his trying to convince the Coast Guard that they were not mere gun-runners, or smugglers. CANF has been involved with other plots on Castro and Cuban civilians. Luis Posada Carriles, one of the founders of CANF, gave an interview to the 'New York Times' newspaper (July 12th-13th, 1998), where he admitted to planning a series of bombings in Cuba. Carriles never mentioned his drug smuggling, nor the fact that he helped carry out murder by blowing a Cuban Airliner out of the sky in 1976, killing all 73 aboard. He escaped from prison in Venezuela, where he was being held on those changes, to next turn up coordinating Contra resupply flights in and out of the El Salvadoran airbase at Ilopango. Posada worked with the likes of assassin Rafael 'Chi Chi' Quintero; Felix Rodriguez, (alias Max Gomez), who killed Che Guavera in Bolivia; and Fransico Fiorini, (alias Frank Sturgis - CIA killer, and 'Watergate' bungler). Posada's drugs dealing terrorist activities are no secret to US officials. This has not kept him from obtaining a US passport, and occasionally visiting Miami. The media subtly marginalize the US intelligence connections to many of these Cuban exiles. When remarked upon, connections are usually portrayed as training heroes of a failed revolution, rather than as hiring drug smuggling terrorists who do the dirty work, of which killing Castro is just one small part. |
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Accused Cuban Bomber Calmly Confesses On TV
Actually, this is about a Salvadoran bomber of Cuban targets, who was arrested in Havana after blowing up numerous hotels and restaurants on two different occasions. Luis Posada Carriles and CANF funded this terror campaign, according to confessions of both Posada, and Raul Ernesto Cruz Leon, the bomber himself.
Cuban Editor Denounces US Broadcasts
IS the US attempting to 'incite terrorism and sabotage' inside Cuba with its continuing radio broadcasting into the tiny island nation? This Cuban editor thinks so.
Exiles To Appeal Castro Suit Ruling
The 'Foundation For Human Rights In Cuba' wants to appeal the judge's decision in Spain to refuse to open a probe into the allegations raised by their suit. The world opinion grows steadily against the US policy of ostracizing Castro, and Cuba. The judge's decision is a direct manifestation of this.
Behind The Elian Case
This 'Consortium News' article (March 30th, 2000) reveals that some of the most vocal opponents of returning Elian Gonzalez to his father have ties to anti-Castro terrorist groups, and may have been involved in the nasty torture training of Argentinian death squads.
Alpha 66 Homepage
Originally a CIA funded group dedicated to armed overthrow of Castro, now a self professed non-profit organization still dedicated to the overthrow of Castro, not quite so publicly mandating bombings and violence anymore, but certainly not adverse to the "buzz of machine guns on the horizon of the countryside," and "incredible destruction every night."
Cuban American National Foundation
Here is the OFFICIAL homepage of this group. While it is noble to want to take one's (former) country from the grip of dictatorship, are civillians legitimate targets?
US Probe Is Based On Cuban Data
Cuba alerted the press and the US government that CANF was involved in bombings and a kill-Castro murder plot. This information formed the basis for the investigations into various plots and crimes by exile groups, like CANF.
Few In Cuba Mourn Mass Conosa's Death
Reaction by Cubans in Cuba to the death of one of the most vilified CANF leaders.
US Senators Question FBI Director On Legality Of Assassination
A general look at how legal it is for the US government to sanction assassination, and if doing it with a missile is any more legal than paying a hit-man.
Puerto Rican Authorities Probe Alleged Castro Murder Plot
Background behind the most recent case of alleged assassination attempts on Castro involving the CANF.
Luis Posada Carriles, And The CANF- Coca Contra Lives On
Here is one of the very baddest of the boys: the infamous 'narcoterrorist' Luis Posada Carriles, who just happens to have been trained by the US in all kinds of mean nasty terrorist type ways. Posada has lived, on and off for years, within the US, never having much trouble with US authorities. He also once went to work for the US in El Salvador after escaping from prison in Venezuela where he had been held on suspicion of blowing a Cuban passenger jet out of the air.
Permanent Mission Of Cuba To The US: Press Release
A really detailed run down of Posada's interviews with various media, such as the 'New York Times' and CBS TV, where he admits to planning and funding bombings in Havana. A must read, just for the look at how the Cubans know what's up, when many US citizens still don't have a clue what their own government has been up to.
Anti-Castro Plots Seldom Lead To Jail In US
FBI agent speaking to an anti-Castro militant, when boat and explosives tuned up in his name near Havana: "Don't do it again. Someone could get hurt." That was it, then they walked away. This illustrates the tolerance of anti-Castro violence by US law enforcement that still goes on today.
Brothers To The Rescue (Hermanos Al Recate)
This outfit advocates, at least here at their webpage, a non-violent approach to Castro, exhorting exiles to "resist provocation to act violently, or to act before the right time," and on the "benefits of non-violent struggle."
Latin American News Syndicate
Wow, "Khrushchev organized Narcoterrorism in Latin America," it says here. Reagan and Bush, not to mention Ollie North, would have loved these guys. "Hemispheric terrorism orchestrated from Castro's Cuban satrapy . . ." and "Liberation Theology activities so useful to Marxist Terrorists and Narcoterrorists, from Chiapas, Mexico, through Central America, to Colombia." This site doesn't have anything to do with anti-Castro forces, but it is so from that political perspective: the 'dirty commies did it all' camp, that I had to include it here. Again, wow, I am truly amazed at this site. A must-visit site for anyone interested in general, yet complex and convoluted conspiracy theories, and good old fashioned disinformation.
Castro Sued for Genocide, Terrorism
Taking the cue from the travails of Chilean General Pinochet, the 'Foundation For Human Rights In Cuba', a Cuban exile group in Miami, has filed suit against Castro in Spain in November 1998. There are no good guys in this whole situation, other than the innocent civilians who are caught up in the middle of the storm.
Elian, The Little Victim In An Old Men's War
This is a perceptive 'Sunday Times' article (April 1st, 2000) on how all the parties in this battle over the custody of Elian Gonzalez (with the possible exception of his father, who should have custody), are using him to further their own political agendas. These people should reconsider what they are doing, and then put all that energy they are wasting on hunger strikes outside Gonzalez' home in Miami into feeding other American kids who are hungry, or have no home. What are these people doing? Have they lost their minds? I think that is a valid question. And the uncle? What is he doing wrapping up Gonzalez in an American flag, surrounding him with weapons, and posing him for pictures, according to some reports? Things are way out of hand in Miami! The city is talking about refusing to allow the government to hand the kid over to his own father.
Luis Posada Carriles, The Cuban American National Foundation, And Narcoterrorism
Luis Posada is a 'career narcoterrorist' who has admitted bombing, killing, and all sorts of other mean, nasty ugly things while under the employment of the CIA and other US killer groups, and while on his own using training he received from the US, yet a US government terrorism expert denied on 'C-Span (May 2nd, 2000) on 'C-Span', that the US sponsored, or sponsors, any terrorism anywhere! This is a 'ludicrous' suggestion. Golly, I guess Max Gomez aka Felix Rodriguez, Luis Posada, CANF, CORU, No Name Key, Bay of Pigs, Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, the Congo, the KLA, the muhajedeen (and let's not forget the Lockerbie bombing, though admittedly that is still in the speculative stages) are all figments of our imagination, and had no US involvement whatsoever, that it would be 'ludicrous' to suggest that there was any US involvement with these folk, and incidents. Hmmm.
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