As soon as the final touches of translation are completed, Venezuela is to formally submit a request for the extradition of Luis Posada Carriles, accused (and pretty much known even by the CIA) of bombing a Cuban airliner in 1976, killing the 73 people on board. He is also an admitted accomplice and planner of multiple bombings of tourist areas in Havana, including one which killed a young Italian tourist. The plane bombing was planned in Caracas.
The Venezuelan ambassador to the US expressed concern over Washington’s silence on the issue, and the Venezuelan VP complained of the US’s ambiguity on the issue of terrorism.
Though the US State Dept. says it has no information on whether Posada “is, was, or has been” in the country, his lawyer confirms that he did indeed cross the border from Mexico and is now seeking asylum in the US.
Washington may see an anti-communist terrorist as a non-threat to Americans, but that is clearly not the case, as the late 70s/early 80s bombings in Miami prove. If and when the embargo comes down and Americans begin flying to Cuba from Miami, nutballs like Posada will remain a real threat to those flying to Cuba to exchange experiences — and goods — with the people of that island. He and his ilk do not necessarily want an end to dictatorship — just the end of Castro’s and the beginning of theirs.