HAVANA, (Reuters) – Cuba has arrested four Miami-based exiles suspected of planning attacks on military installations with the goal of promoting anti-government violence on the communist-run island, the Interior Ministry said.
Labeling the suspects as “terrorists,” it said in a statement late on Tuesday they were linked to Luis Posada Carriles, 86, a Cuban exile and former CIA operative living in Miami who for many years sought to overthrow former President Fidel Castro.
The April 26 arrests could antagonize the already poor relations between Washington and Havana, and the case recalled a series of plots from the exile community in Miami against Cuba.
Cuba said it would contact U.S. officials about the investigation and that the four suspects had admitted to planning the attacks. By reaching out to U.S. authorities, Cuba said it hoped to “avoid acts by terrorist organizations or elements located in that country.”
The State Department said it had seen the Cuban statement but had no further information.
“The Cuban government has also not been in touch with us yet on these cases,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
