1997 Cuba hotel bombings
Encyclopedia
The 1997 Cuba hotel bombings were a series of bombings of Cuba
n hotels, which resulted in the death of an Italian tourist, Fabio di Celmo
. Targets included the Hotel Capri
, Hotel Nacional de Cuba
, and the Meliá Cohiba Hotel
. The Cuban-born Venezuelan Luis Posada Carriles
admitted organising the bombings. In a taped interview with The New York Times, Posada said: "It is sad that someone is dead, but we can't stop." Posada was reportedly disappointed with the reluctance of American news organisations to report the bombing attacks, saying "If there is no publicity, the job is useless.
In March 1999 Raúl Ernesto Cruz León, who Posada admitted was a mercenary under his employment, was sentenced to death by the Cuban authorities after admitting to the attacks, alongside fellow Salvadoran Otto Rene Rodriguez Llerena. The sentences were commuted in 2010 to 30 years in prison. In December 2010 another Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, was sentenced to 30 years for his part in the bombings, having confessed on television to being hired by Posada Carriles.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n hotels, which resulted in the death of an Italian tourist, Fabio di Celmo
Fabio di Celmo
Fabio di Celmo was an Italian entrepreneur, murdered in the 1997 explosion of a bomb planted by anti-Castro terrorists in a bar at the Hotel Copacabana....
. Targets included the Hotel Capri
Hotel Capri (Havana)
The Hotel Capri is a high rise hotel located in central Havana.In 1955, President Batista enacted Hotel Law 2070, offering tax incentives, government loans and casino licenses to anyone wishing to build hotels in excess of $1,000,000 or nightclubs for $200,000 in Havana...
, Hotel Nacional de Cuba
Hotel Nacional de Cuba
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is an historic luxury hotel located on the Malecón in Havana, Cuba. It was designed by the famous New York firm McKim, Mead and White and features an eclectic mix of architectural styles...
, and the Meliá Cohiba Hotel
Meliá Cohiba Hotel
The Meliá Cohiba is a 5 star luxury high-rise hotel located in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba. The hotel opened in 1994, in total it has 401 rooms and 61 suites...
. The Cuban-born Venezuelan Luis Posada Carriles
Luis Posada Carriles
Luis Clemente Faustino Posada Carriles is a Cuban-born Venezuelan anti-communist and former Central Intelligence Agency agent....
admitted organising the bombings. In a taped interview with The New York Times, Posada said: "It is sad that someone is dead, but we can't stop." Posada was reportedly disappointed with the reluctance of American news organisations to report the bombing attacks, saying "If there is no publicity, the job is useless.
In March 1999 Raúl Ernesto Cruz León, who Posada admitted was a mercenary under his employment, was sentenced to death by the Cuban authorities after admitting to the attacks, alongside fellow Salvadoran Otto Rene Rodriguez Llerena. The sentences were commuted in 2010 to 30 years in prison. In December 2010 another Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, was sentenced to 30 years for his part in the bombings, having confessed on television to being hired by Posada Carriles.
External links
- A Bombers Tale: Key Cuba Foe Claims Exiles' Backing by Ann Louise BardachAnn Louise BardachAnn Louise Bardach is an American journalist and non-fiction author. Bardach is best known for her work on Cuba and Miami and was called "the go-to journalist on all things Cuban and Miami," by the Columbia Journalism Review having interviewed people such as Fidel Castro, Juanita Castro, Luis...
, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, July 12, 1998