MIAMI, United States. – The Cuban regime released this Monday Raúl Ernesto Cruz León, a Salvadoran citizen who had been in prison for 30 years for detonating explosives in tourist facilities on the Island in 1997, as confirmed by the media. Reasons for Cubalinked to State Security.
In the attacks for which Cruz León was convicted, an Italian tourist on vacation on the island died. (Fabio Di Celmo) and seven people were injured.
Cruz León was arrested in September 1997 and accused of placing bombs between July and September of that same year in the Nacional, Capri, Tritón, Chateau-Miramar, Copacabana hotels — where Di Celmo’s death occurred — and in the La Bodeguita restaurant. del Medio, a place very frequented by tourists. Initially, the Cuban regime’s justice system sentenced him to death by firing squad, but this sanction It was later commuted to 30 years in prison. following an appeal process completed in 2010.
In a trial held in Havana in 1999, Cruz León was found guilty of the crime of “continued terrorism,” a conviction supported by evidence that linked him to the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF), based in Miami, and to the former CIA collaborator Luis Posada Carrileswho—according to Reasons for Cuba— admitted to The New York Times having planned the attacks with the financial support of the CANF.
The note of Reasons for Cubaof a boastful nature, described the release as “an example of the fairness of the Cuban legal system that applies the laws in an impartial and coherent manner.” Likewise, the outlet noted: “We cannot forget that the masterminds of these terrorist acts, those who planned and financed the attacks, have lived and died in the United States without facing justice.”
Furthermore, the official publication took advantage of the announcement to reject the Island’s inclusion in the list of countries sponsoring terrorism: “Cuba reiterates its commitment to the fight against terrorism and the need for the international community to act firmly against those who promote and finance these actions. “The false US terrorism sponsorship list is blatant hypocrisy.”
The media did not specify whether Cruz León will leave the Island immediately or will still have to remain in the country.
