Cuba claims it thwarted a “terrorist” attack after an armed man riding a jet ski arrived from Florida and was arrested on the Caribbean island.
According to state media, the man intended to commit acts of violence on the island with Cuban officials claiming the plot was tied to at least two groups, Nueva Nacion Cubana and La Nueva Nacion Cubana en Armas.
Cuba has labelled both of them terrorist groups, according to Reuters. The arrested man was armed with handguns, ammunition clips and ammunition, according to the report.
He is reportedly a Cuban citizen living in Florida and entered the country illegally on a jetski, which he dumped in a mangrove swamp on the north coast before heading to the city of Cienfuegos.
Before his arrest the man allegedly tried to recruit others to assist in committing acts of violence, arson and vandalism, the state media report claimed.
It also alleged that several other Cubans, living in the country and South Florida, were under investigation for involvement in the alleged plot.
The arrest came just days after Cuban authorities published a list of more than 80 foreign nationals and groups that it accused of terrorism.
These 61 individuals and 19 groups include Influencer Alexander Otaola Casal “for inciting the realization of actions that affect social order in Cuba, through violent acts against public officials and the normal functioning of socioeconomic entities; and promoting armed aggression against Cuba.”
Cuba was included in the US list of countries that sponsor terrorism in the final days of Donald Trump’s administration and has been in talks with the Biden administration to be removed.
