U.S. arrests key ally of Posada

[Scurrilous]

The action against a close supporter of Cuban exile militant Luis Posada Carriles could pit the Bush administration against part of a Republican constituency.

<snip>


"Santiago Alvarez, a longtime anti-Castro activist and key supporter of exile militant Luis Posada Carriles, was arrested in Miami this weekend on federal weapons and passport charges -- a move that could cause a clash between the Bush administration and some members of one of the president's most loyal political constituencies.

Alvarez, a wealthy developer, is charged with possession of automatic weapons, including some with the serial numbers obliterated; a silencer not properly registered; and a false passport, Matthew Dates, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Miami, said Sunday evening."

<snip>

"The U.S. government was already in the uncomfortable position of being accused of harboring Posada, who is suspected of terrorism, even as it wages a global war on terrorism. Now, Alvarez's arrest could raise the political stakes by pitting the Bush administration against some segments of the exile community, which has strongly supported the president.

Federal agents arrested Alvarez at his Belle Meade home about 1 a.m. Saturday, just hours after executing a search warrant in his Hialeah office, said Kendall Coffey, Alvarez's lawyer.

It was not clear whether the charges were directly related to Posada, who is wanted by both the Cuban and Venezuelan governments for his alleged role in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner and a string of bomb attacks in Havana in 1997-98."

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[acmavm]

1. Interesting. Considering what this guy got caught with couldn't he be

construed as some sort of 'terrorist'?

[Mika]

2. Bush constituency consists of terrorists and pro terra supporters.

From the lead article.

Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez-Roque said in a televised speech that Alvarez conspired with other exiles to try to kill Castro at the Ibero-American summit in Panama City that year.

Posada was in jail in Panama (after getting caught with plastic explosives intended for planting under the stage at the U of Panama where Castro was to speak - the explosion would have killed and maimed hundreds) when the outgoing president pardoned him and his coconspirators. The coconspirators arrived in Miami to a heroes welcome celebration by Miami's prominent "exile" leaders. Posada was smuggled in to Miami later on Alvarez' boat.

Havana also accused Alvarez of financing a botched terrorist mission to Cuba in 2001. The alleged plot failed after Cuban authorities arrested three Miami-Dade County men who were trying to land on the island with four AK-47 assault rifles, one M-3 rifle with a silencer and three Makarov pistols.

In a bizarre twist, one of the arrested men, Ihosvani Surís de la Torre, called Alvarez from prison while Cuban agents recorded the conversation. Surís said he was well and asked for instructions from Alvarez. He mentioned the popular Tropicana nightclub in Havana, implying that it might be a possible target.

All three were convicted in Cuba and are serving 17-25 year sentences for illegal entry into Cuba, plotting acts of murder and terrorism, and arms smuggling.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Fascinating! Once again, these feeble lunatics are falling back on the

"blame Castro" excuse:

''Castro has got to be really happy about this because there was a week of rumor and speculation about his health, and the week ends up with what he will trumpet as a victory against the Miami Cuban-American community,'' Coffey said. ``Santiago Alvarez has not violated the laws of this country.''
(snip)

''Every time Castro complains about something, this government does whatever they have to so that he doesn't get mad,'' Saavedra said.
(snip)

Hilarious! Everytime things don't go the way they want, they start howling that Fidel Castro dunnit. Priceless.

Also from the article, more on this Cuban reactionary creepo:

Havana also accused Alvarez of financing a botched terrorist mission to Cuba in 2001. The alleged plot failed after Cuban authorities arrested three Miami-Dade County men who were trying to land on the island with four AK-47 assault rifles, one M-3 rifle with a silencer and three Makarov pistols.

In a bizarre twist, one of the arrested men, Ihosvani Surís de la Torre, called Alvarez from prison while Cuban agents recorded the conversation. Surís said he was well and asked for instructions from Alvarez. He mentioned the popular Tropicana nightclub in Havana, implying that it might be a possible target.

''The other day, when you told me about the Tropicana, do you want me to do something there?'' Surís asked.

The man identified as Alvarez responded: ``If you want to do that, so much the better. Makes no difference to me.''
(snip)

How many people keep silencers in their office safes, anyway? And phoney passports? And automatic weapons?

Sheesh.

No wonder the F.B.I. called Miami the "terror capitol of the United States" at one time.

[Mika]

4. Kendall Coffey was fired by Janet Reno for assaulting a stripper..

.. when she was state attorney in Miami Dade and he was working for her office. He was on a drunken binder in a strip club when he bit her on the ass so hard that he punctured skin and left scars.
(Castro made him do it. :rofl: )


He was also one of the lawyers for Elian's drunk uncle during that debacle.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Sounds like he was in his element when he represented the drunken uncles!

Walt Coffey and Lázaro Gonzalez

I'll bet it killed him when his former employer who fired him ALSO won the case and sent the child back to his father, brother, step-mother, four grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and schoolmates.

[Scurrilous]

6. Posada allies denied release

A federal judge in Miami refused to release two close allies of a Cuban exile militant. The two face weapons charges.

<snip>

"A secret cache of weapons, a fake Guatemalan passport, betrayal by a turncoat.

The U.S. government's case against Santiago Alvarez and Osvaldo Mitat, two close allies of Cuban exile militant Luis Posada Carriles, contains the kind of intrigue that turned the terrorism suspect's own life into the stuff of Cuban exile lore.

On Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Simonton refused to release the pair because their mere possession of automatic weapons, grenades and rounds of ammunition amounted to a ''crime of violence'' and posed a danger to the community.

Federal agents found some of those firearms at a Broward County apartment complex owned by Alvarez, and other weapons on Mitat himself after a government informant made a delivery to him in Miami-Dade."

<snip>

"The case against Posada's close associates has the potential to create a political firestorm for the White House, with hardline exile activists vowing to protest and defend Alvarez against what they see as an attack by Castro.

"We are seeing signals that indicate that the administration of President Bush is forgetting the promises they made to the exile community in order to cater to Castro," said Cuban American National Foundation President Francisco "Pepe" Hernandez, who was sitting outside the courtroom."

more

[Judi Lynn]

7. You've got to wonder what's up when Bush's administration actually

investigates these violent right-wing "exiles." Something very strange is going on.

From the article, following the "Pepe" Hernandez quote posted in the previous post, was this gem from a prominent Miami "exile," previously CIA-connected terrorist, Jose Basulto:

Added Brothers to the Rescue founder Jose Basulto: ``This is an action against our community and our people. There is no difference between Bush and Clinton. There is basically one party with two names. The U.S. is falling to a moral low point.''
(snip)

~~~~~~~~~~

''Following his arrest, Mitat made a spontaneous statement to a uniformed police officer,'' the affidavit said. ``He told the officer . . . `Unfortunately, you guys are doing your jobs and we got caught with a bunch of guns. I love the United States and would never do anything to hurt this country. These guns were not meant to be used against this country.''

AMMUNITION FOUND

On Saturday, agents went back to the 280-unit apartment complex in Lauderhill and found more than a thousand rounds of ammunition, more explosives and automatic weapons in a vault in the building management office.

Said ATF agent Matt May: ``It was a very large gun safe.''
(snip/)~~~~~~~~~~

If _Bush gets too serious with these clowns, as in treating them like ordinary citizens, he's going to lose their support completely, and he'll screw _Jeb's support for future political moves. He's going to have to watch it, or they'll hurt him.