Published Friday, September 12, 1997, in the Miami Herald

14 arrested in wake of `confession'

By PABLO ALFONSO
Herald Staff Writer

About 14 people have been arrested in Cuba on suspicion of plotting to bomb tourist spots on the island, according to a source with ties to the Cuban government.

``The arrests began a week ago, as a result of the capture of the [Salvadoran] who confessed to the bombings,'' the source told The Herald, on condition of anonymity.

The Salvadoran is Raul Ernesto Cruz Leon, whose arrest was announced Wednesday by Havana. He has been charged with six of the 11 bombings committed since April.

According to the source, Cruz was arrested the night of Sept. 4, as he prepared to set off another explosive device in a hotel near the restaurant La Bodeguita del Medio.

Miriam Garcia, a leader of the opposition Party of Renewal (Orthodox), told The Herald on Thursday that she knows of at least eight dissidents who have been arrested since Sept. 5 without explanation.

They include members of the College of Pedagogy, the Liberal Party, the Democratic Solidarity Party and the Socialist Mainstream, Garcia said.

Copyright © 1997 The Miami Herald