Officials: Bomb Found on Witness' Truck (Posada case)

January 17, 2007

MIAMI -- The pickup truck on which a pipe bomb was found and later detonated by authorities over the weekend belonged to a key witness in the federal case against jailed Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

The FBI had publicly identified the owner of the truck only as a witness in a federal criminal case. But two federal law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the case is under investigation, said Wednesday the witness was Gilberto Abascal, whose testimony is key to the U.S. case charging Posada with lying during immigration naturalization proceedings.

Posada is accused by Cuba and Venezuela of masterminding the 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner that killed 73 people. Posada, a longtime opponent of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, worked for the CIA for years and trained for the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion.

Posada has been held by immigration officials in Texas since his 2005 arrest in Miami, but a judge ruled he could not be deported to either Cuba or Venezuela. The new criminal case ensures he will not be released soon.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-cuban-militant-witness,0,276429.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines


I had a funny feeling about this story when I read the first press report.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2689398

it's like the feebies aren't even trying to make it look legit. I guess I see their point...why bother?

headquarters"

What the hell?

What kind of idiot sees a pipe bomb strapped to his car and then hops in the car, fires it up, and drives away?

This is just too wierd, all the way around.

"Abascal was the key informant in a separate case against Santiago Alvarez, a benefactor and supporter of Posada, and Osvaldo Mitat. Alvarez and Mitat pleaded guilty last year to federal weapons charges and were indicted again in the Posada case for failing to appear before a grand jury.

The pipe bomb was found Sunday after Abascal apparently noticed the device and drove his truck to Hialeah police headquarters. The bomb was detonated by the Miami-Dade bomb squad, with the investigation led by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Other details on the bomb and exactly when Abascal noticed it were unavailable."


This guy is no amateur, no innocent-bystander kind of witness.

This is a whacked-out deal and I think it is a twisted sort of false flag.

No way he would have turned that key in the ignition switch.

that managed to turn government informant and got Posada's friends Alvarez and Mitat busted. They got nailed after they gave Abascal a cooler full of weapons to take to Alvarez's Broward condo. So I guess Abascal is use to driving around with explosives?

There is just no way a guy like that would have cranked - much less driven - his car after seen an explosive (or in any way suspicious) device on his car.

I sure as hell wouldn't.

Would you?

This smells really bad.

From Miami's Cuban Connection.

<clips>

Is U.S. Relying On Cuban Spy For Critical Testimony?

...A key witness in a major weapons case against one of Fidel Castro's sworn enemies was stopped by the Coast Guard 40 miles from Key West in 1999 as he attempted to return to Cuba. With him were a crock pot, a VCR and photographs of a Cuban exile paramilitary training camp in Miami-Dade County.

Was Gilberto Abascal spying for Cuba?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FBI Informant Says Posada Came to U.S. Aboard Boat

A confidential informant who is helping the FBI in their weapons case against Miami developer Santiago Alvarez, now says that Cuban exile militant Luis Posada Carriles was smuggled into Miami on the boat Santrina. Gilberto Abascal, interviewed Friday, said the old shrimpring Santrina brought Posada to Miami after picking him up in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. It's the first time one of the five official passengers on the boat relays Fidel Castro's version of Posada's entrance into the United States. Posada and his Miami allies have long maintained that he entered the U.S. through the Mexican border. Documents filed by the Feds in court this week also show that Abascal was contacted on several occassions by Cuban government officials, fueling speculation among some in the exile community that he is a double agent, which he denies.

http://blogs.herald.com/cuban_connection/spy_vs_sly/index.html


Gilberto Abascal

OK, this story has dropped over the Edge.

Romper Room.

but he's definitely an FBI informant.

Alvarez and Mitat were in the middle of getting ready for another terrorist attack, probably in Cuba. Abascal led the FBI to Alvarez's weapons cache that was stored in his Broward condo.

According to the judge at their arraignment, there were enough weapons and explosives to cause a major bloodbath. Alvarez responded that they didn't plan to use this stuff in the US.

Posted on Fri, Jan. 12, 2007
POSADA CASE
Cuban exile militant, two allies are indictedCuban exile militant Luis Posada Carriles and two supporters were indicted in Texas, ensuring that Posada will remain in detention for the foreseeable future.
BY ALFONSO CHARDY, JAY WEAVER AND OSCAR CORRAL
achardy@MiamiHerald.com

~snip~
Thursday's indictment is built on a statement given to the FBI by an informant who said that Posada entered the country on a shrimping boat called Santrina manned by Alvarez, Mitat and others, including the informant himself: Gilberto Abascal. He said the crew on the Santrina picked up Posada on the Mexican island of Isla Mujeres and transported him to the United States.

Abascal did not testify before the El Paso grand jury, but his FBI statement was presented to the jurors. Abascal declined to comment on the indictment, citing ''an order of silence from the judge,'' but insisted that he told the truth to investigators.

''I have always told the truth and have not lied about anything,'' Abascal said by telephone. ``Even if they insult me or kill me, I'll continue telling the truth.''

Abascal added that he was ''waiting for the day'' to testify. ''If they call me, I'll go, but they haven't called me,'' he said.

Except for Abascal, all the men linked to the Santrina voyage have been indicted on contempt of court charges, including Alvarez and Mitat, who appeared before the grand jury Thursday. Their attorneys declined to comment.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/16441431.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He sounds very "interesting," considering this information:

CUBA, ABASCAL AND THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION

by Hugo J. Byrne

A commonly accepted premise is that Washington truly opposes, and has always opposed, the Castro regime. President Bush’s recent hardening of the so-called trade embargo often is misconstrued as hard evidence supporting that premise. But now, with intelligence reports indicating that Fidel Castro is bed ridden, probably suffering from a terminal ailment and temporarily replaced by his brother Raul, some analysts are pointing to other evidence punching large holes in that old premise.

Is the Bush White House secretly in cahoots with the Cuban regime? Of course, not. However, some recent events vis-a-vis the Cuban exiled community could demonstrate at least that the administration is regarding the continuation of the Castro family's dictatorship as a nuisance that could be accepted, when compared to the possibility of a bloody struggle liberating the Island Nation. That interpretation of those events by the Cuban-American voters could lead to a devastating blow to Republican Party hopes for Southern Florida in the November 2006 congressional elections. Many individuals among the exiled community feel frustrated and betrayed. The fear among republican political pundits is that their frustration may translate into absenteeism from the voting booths.

The eye of the storm surrounds a shady Cuban expatriate named Gilberto Abascal. Abascal is the U.S. star witness in the government case against Cuban activists Santiago Alvarez and Oswaldo Mitat. Their trial is scheduled for September 11 and the charges against the activists are illegal possession of firearms and sneaking one illegal alien into the U.S. territory, namely, another well known Cuban activist, Luis Posada Carriles.
(snip/...)

http://www.amigospais-guaracabuya.org/oaghb214-cuba-abascal-bush-administration.php

<clips>

...An article in the Nuevo Heraldo Spanish language newspaper on Saturday reports that Gilberto Abascal’s pickup truck was shot several times as Abascal drove in the area known as Los Ranchos near Hialeah Gardens. “Something happened, but I’m fine…Saturday they fired on me,” said Abascal who is supposed to be under the federal witness protection program.

The attack should come as no surprise. It can be explained by the climate in this southern Florida city and the fact that the individual involved is a key piece in the network involving Alvarez, Mitat and Luis Posada Carriles.

Gilberto Abascal knows very well how fugitive terrorist Luis Posada Carriles entered the United States: via the Santrina yacht in March, 2005. He was on the boat, as were Alvarez and Mitat. Therefore, his reports to the FBI are vital in this case, since the US authorities maintained for months that they had no knowledge of Posada’s presence or how he arrived to the US, actions that were repeatedly denounced by Cuba at the time.

But delimiting Abascal’s knowledge to this incident would be inaccurate. He also has other information on Posada and his associates that encompasses far more than the illegal entry. Delving into the past would provide key information on innumerable terrorist plans. Perhaps some of these would surface during the Alvarez-Mitat trial to be held starting September 11 in Fort Lauderdale, where the FBI will call Abascal as a prosecution witness.

http://www.periodico26.cu/english/coverage/uncomfortablewitness.htm

Not surprised to see that it's got something to do with US favorite terrorista and MiamiGUSANO hero, Posada. When I read this last night in the Sun Sentinel I kinda thought it might have to do with him, but the earlier report didn't mention his name.

POS they need to ship his ass to Venezuela or Cuba.

<clips>

This man’s name is Luis Faustino Clemente Posada Carriles, better known among the CIA (for whom he worked) and intelligence circles as “Bambi.” He stands nearly six feet three inches tall, and has green eyes and a sweet look about him. Born on February 15, 1928 in Cienfuegos, Cuba, his hair has left behind its black color for an charming, grandfatherly white. He is a chemist by trade, and has used at least a dozen false names for a variety of “missions.”

This robust man, who has both Venezuelan and Cuban nationality, speaks slowly. This man, who U.S. immigration agents arrested on May 17 and now keep guarded in an El Paso, Texas prison, is the murderer of 73 people who died October 6, 1976, in a mid-flight attack on a Cubana de Aviación passenger airplane, as Authentic Journalist Alicia Herrera documented so well in her book Pusimos la bomba… ¿y qué? (“We Planted the Bomb, So What?”). But Luis Posada Carriles is responsible for more terrorist attacks in the last few decades… for many more…

For example, Posada has always been connected to dozens of anti-Castro terrorist groups, training them and supporting their actions from various countries throughout North and South America. Come on, the guy was an agent in former Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista’s secret police before the 1959 Cuban Revolution. And according to the Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde, which published a succinct biography of this terrorist, there is evidence he may have even been involved in John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

Let’s just take a look at some important dates:

April 17, 1961: The day of the failed Bay of Pigs landing in Cuba. Dozens of mercenaries and anti-Castro Cubans hope to carry out an invasion of the island and create a “guerrilla war” against Fidel Castro’s government. They fail, infamously, and despite funding from Miami-based Cuban businessmen and the United States government. Among the participating groups is “Brigade 2506,” led by Félix Rodíguez. Rodríguez, another Cuban CIA, agent is famous for having been in Bolivia just after “Che” Guevara’s capture and cutting off the revolutionary’s hands after his execution. Posada Carriles, a member of Brigade 2506, does not participate in the landing, though he does in its organization and in logistical support from the United States. The reason? “Bambi” was recruited by the CIA, and also worked for the FBI, as he admitted to the New York Times in July 1998.

1961 to 1967: Posada, aside from raising suspicions of his involvement in the Kennedy assassination, receives military training in explosives and other skills at Fort Benning (later home to the School of the Americas), where he graduated with the rank of lieutenant. He, in turn, goes on to train anti-Castro mercenaries and dedicates himself to various terrorist operations while the CIA provides him a salary. Cuban exile leader Jorge Mas Canosa occasionally finances his activities, as declassified FBI documents have now shown. He operates during these years out of other Latin American counties, such as Mexico and Guatemala.

1967 to 1975: The CIA taps him to work with the General Directorship of the Venezuelan Police, and then later with that county’s intelligence service, the DISIP. From Caracas, until 1975, he works in the service of several intelligence agencies, always as a high-ranking DISIP official. He also has time to help organize torture sessions of Venezuelan guerrillas during this period. At this point in his career, according to the declassified CIA documents, Posada Carriles seems to have begun worrying his bosses with his extreme propensity for violence. From then on, his “actions” are no longer openly linked to the CIA and U.S. government (though this is merely because there are still not enough documents available to prove it).

http://www.narconews.com/Issue38/article1353.html








Isla Mujeres fishermen save the S.S. Santrina run ashore on a sandbar on March 14, 2005
Photo: D.R. 2005 Mario Alonzo, Por Esto!

While they're busy diverting attention to the news someone is trying to knock off the principal witness, it's very possible someone else will lightly murder Luis Posada Carriles to keep him from talking, also, considering all HIS information could bring too much trouble down on certain right-wing monsters in the U.S. gummint.

It's so doubtful they want any more of his life's story getting out.

if I understand this latest bit of news from the Miami Herald:

Posted on Thu, Jan. 18, 2007
POSADA IMMIGRATION CASE
Witness against militant Posada reports a bomb under his pickup
A Hialeah man helping prosecutors go after anti-Castro militants is an FBI informant who said he found a pipe bomb under his truck

BY JAY WEAVER AND ALFONSO CHARDY
jweaver@MiamiHerald.com

An FBI informant who is a key witness against anti-Castro militant Luis Posada Carriles discovered a pipe bomb attached to the bottom of his pickup truck Sunday and drove it to the Hialeah Police Department, law-enforcement authorities say.

Gilberto Abascal -- whose testimoney also helped convict anti-Castro activists Santiago Alvarez and Osvaldo Mitat on weapons charges -- somehow spotted the device strapped to the undercarriage of his red 2005 Ford F-150 truck while he cruised around Hialeah, two federal investigators familiar with the incident said.

Despite finding the explosive device, Abascal drove several blocks to the Hialeah police station.

Hialeah police and Miami-Dade bomb squad officers shut down the area and detonated the device. The police picked up the bomb scraps, which included wires and gun shells. The FBI is now investigating, although spokeswoman Judy Orihuela declined to comment.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16485137.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'll bet it's likely another driver saw it and alerted him.

So is he going to testify before someone kills him? They're not doing a very good job of protecting this "valuable" government witness, who's expected to testify against a former CIA and Iran-Contra operative, are they?

is like a keystone cop movie.

Flight 455

On October 6th, 1976 Cubana Flight 455 was destroyed after takeoff by a bomb detonation that had been placed in the aircraft toilets in which all seventy-three people on board were killed, including many young members of a Cuban fencing team. Five people from North Korea were also killed on board the flight. This bombing would have been plotted at the same meeting, attended by Luis Posada Carriles and DINA agent Michael Townley, where Chilean former minister Orlando Letelier's assassination, in Washington, D.C. in 1976, was decided. Bosch was jailed in Venezuela awaiting trial for his role concerning the Cubana Flight 455 bombing, but he escaped from Venezuela and sought freedom in the US.

<snip>

"An ally of Cuban exile militant Luis Posada Carriles turned over a stockpile of illegal machine guns, dynamite and a grenade launcher to federal agents this week in a bid to reduce his prison sentence, several sources familiar with the arms surrender said.

Santiago Alvarez, a wealthy Miami developer convicted last fall on a weapons-conspiracy charge, arranged for the turnover of the new cache of firearms on Wednesday at his attorney's office in downtown Miami, sources said.

Alvarez and convicted co-defendant Osvaldo Mitat are seeking to reduce their respective four- and three-year prison sentences by one or more years. The unusual arms surrender has no connection to Posada's latest troubles with federal authorities.

The Alvarez stash consisted of dozens of machine guns, rifles, C-4 explosive, dynamite, detonators, a grenade launcher and ammunition, sources said. The cache was considerably larger than the nine illegal firearms seized by federal agents in late 2005 when Alvarez and Mitat were first indicted on weapons charges in Broward County."

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16493755.htm