A Salvadoran man wanted by Cuba as a suspect in a series of bombings was arrested with a false passport at Caracas’ airport, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Friday.
Chavez said the suspect, Francisco Chavez Abarca, was detained upon arrival on Thursday by Venezuelan intelligence agents and is accused of placing bombs in Havana in 1997.
He called the Salvadoran a “big terrorist” who is closely associated with Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles, a former CIA operative wanted for allegedly plotting the 1976 bombing of a Cuban plane that killed 73 people.
“My heart tells me this gentleman came here to kill me. I have no doubt,” the president said.
“I’m sure this man didn’t come here for tourism. He came here to place bombs, to see how to hunt an objective that has a price: my head,” Chavez said, adding that he is tightening his security.
Chavez has demanded for years that the US extradite Posada, a longtime foe of former Cuban president Fidel Castro, to be tried on charges of plotting the airliner bombing while living in Caracas. Posada faces trial in El Paso, Texas, in January in a perjury case, accused of lying to US authorities about his alleged involvement in 1997 bombings in Cuba that killed an Italian tourist.
Posada has denied the allegations against him.
Chavez said that Posada also lived for many years in El Salvador, the suspect’s homeland.
Cuba had put out a “red notice” through Interpol for the arrest of the Salvadoran, Chavez said. He accused the man of slipping into Cuba years ago on a mission to kill Castro.
“Since he couldn’t, he started placing bombs,” Chavez said.
Reading from accusations against the suspect, Chavez said Cuban authorities believe he placed an explosive that damaged a hotel disco on April 2, 1997, and another one later that month that failed to explode on the 15th floor of the same hotel.
Cuba also suspects him in the bombing of a Cuban government tourist office in Mexico on May 24, 1997, Chavez said, as well as recruiting others in bombing tourist sites in Cuba in 1997 and 1998.
Cuban officials did not immediately make any public statements about the arrest.
When he arrived at Simon Bolivar International Airport, the man initially gave a false name, then later acknowledged his true identity, Chavez said, adding that Venezuelan authorities have been questioning him and plan to turn him over to Interpol to be sent to Cuba.
CRACKED SCREEN: The problem is an embarrassing setback for Apple, which spent more than a decade developing the device and touted its durability The iPhone Duo, one of Apple’s biggest new products in years, is drawing a growing number of complaints from customers who say the foldable display cracked after just hours or days of use. In these cases, customers reported hearing a crunching sound when unfolding the phone, followed by a large crack forming along the center crease. Some users also experienced a white patch or other display malfunction on the right side of the screen. Reports of the problem first surfaced on Reddit and other social media platforms. Bloomberg News has since independently verified the issue with more than half a
Long dubbed an “air-conditioned nation,” Singapore is experimenting with cooling alternatives from chilled beams to “passive displacement” to curb its thirst for energy-guzzling air-conditioning. The city-state has the highest per-capita air-conditioner ownership rate in Southeast Asia, with about 99 percent of private residences equipped with cooling units. Singapore’s local building sector accounts for one-fifth of its emissions, while cooling itself accounts for 40 to 60 percent of a building’s energy consumption, according to studies. A stroll down Orchard Road highlights that dependence. Shoppers are greeted by blasts of cool air that waft into the street as doors swing open — a major draw
Ethiopian online influencers are pushing for their government to invade neighboring Eritrea and seize access to the sea, following its success against rebel and Eritrean forces in the past few weeks. The Ethiopian army has advanced right up to the border after repelling an offensive by rebels in the northern Tigray State who were supported by Eritrean troops. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly said that securing a base on the Red Sea is a vital national objective for Ethiopia, which lost its coastline when Eritrea gained independence in 1993. Some online influencers say that the opportunity to invade has arrived. “The time
Beijing yesterday dismissed as “groundless speculation” a report that said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) was the target of a Chinese spy plot. The article by the New York Times, published on Thursday, said that US intelligence officials concluded that a Chinese executive linked to a Singapore-based data center company had been funneling information to Beijing. “The report in question is based on groundless speculation and is nothing more than an attempt to smear China,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) told a regular briefing. China is in a race for tech dominance with the US, which restricts the export
RSS