Protesters Greet Luis Posada Carriles Who’s In El Paso To Stand Trial For Perjury

Former CIA operative and suspected terrorist Luis Posada Carriles arrived at the Federal Courthouse in El Paso, Monday, to confront charges of purgery, while dozens of protesters stood outside, some calling him a hero, others a murderer.

Federal Prosecutors allege Carriles lied under oath, when he said he did not participate in the bombings in Havana, Cuba, that killed a tourist. The government is slated to present evidence that’s supposed to prove Carriles did know about the bombings, and somehow participated.

The 82-year-old has a long history of political participation and suspected terrorism.

He was reportedly a CIA operative in the 60s and early 70s, even being involved in the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961. But the U.S. reportedly cut ties with Carriles around 1976, when he was linked to the bombing of a Cuban Airliner in Venezuela that killed 73 people. He faced trial in Venezuela, was acquitted twice, but escaped prison while waiting for a government appeal.

Since then, he’s been suspected of bombings in Havana that left an Italian tourist dead in the 90s and plotting to assassinate Fidel Castro in Panama in 2000. He served prison time in Panama for the assassination attempt, but was let free in 2004.

Carriles disappeared after that, until he surfaced in Miami in 2005, and applied for asylum, and later, citizenship – both processes that require immigration officers to question candidates.

When asked about the havana bombings, Carriles denied any participation. But Prosecutors point to a New York Times article in which Carriles reportedly admitted to masterminding the explosions. Carriles told prosecutors the article was wrong. He also later told the Associated Press that he was not completely fluent in English and misunderstood the New York Times reporter.

Now, prosecutors, in a trial slated to take four to eight weeks, have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that Carriles was lying when he said he had no involvement in the Havana bombings. Attorneys with the Department of Justice are prosecuting the case, and are expected to call witnesses from the Cuban government that may show Carriles plotted the bombings. It’s still unclear if the Prosecution will also call the New York Times reporter who wrote the article in which Carriles takes responsibility for the explosions.

Department of Justice Spokesman Dean Boyd, said Carriles could face up to 60 years in prison, if convicted on all 11 counts of naturalization fruad, pergury, making false statements and obstruction.

Two groups of protestors gathered in front of the federal courthouse on Monday. The larger group called Carriles a murderer, while it counterpart, referred to him as a hero.

“I saw Mr. Posada carriles this morning in the hotel and it was the happiest day of my life to be able to walk up to him and call him a terrorist to his face”, said Suzanne Thompson, an advocate of the ‘Cuban Five’ – a group of five men sent by the Cuban government to Miami to monitor terrorist attempts, who were later arrested and sentenced to long prison terms, in the U.S., for not proving they were foreign agents, among other minor charges.

Just feet away, Hugo Byrne, a Cuban exile, said Carriles was a brave man for standing against Fidel Castro’s regime. ” (he is an) individual that has fought all of his life, struggled all of his life, for the liberty of Cuba, and for the security and liberty of the United States”, he said.

Byrne also said Carriles’ work as a CIA operative should count for something, “The United States, the freedom of the United States, the interests of the United States owes a lot to Luis Posada Carriles.”

While Byrne thinks the government is being unjust to Carriles, Thompson believes the Department of Justice is coddling Carriles, accusing him of lesser charges than what she said he deserves. “He should be on trial for terrorism. He’s a criminal, he’s a murderer. Hopefully, this trial will bring out more about his real crime of being a terrorist”, she said.

Jury selection took most of the day Monday, and the trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday.

In a related note, the Venezuelan government still wants Carriles to be deported to that country, where he escaped prison. “Carriles has friends in high places here in the U.S… He did a lot of work for the CIA, but now he should face justice in Venezuela” said Jos Pertierra, a lawyer representing the Venezuelan government.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has formally asked President Barack Obama for the extradition of Carriles.