"Cuban prosecutors have formally charged six people with crimes of terrorism after a US-flagged speedboat was involved in a deadly shootout with Cuba's coast guard last week. The US-based Cuban defendants are accused of packing a boat with weapons and heading toward Cuba in hopes of destabilising the government in Havana."
"Cuban officials have alleged the purported infiltrators came armed with nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition, 13 rifles and 11 pistols, displaying the captured armaments from the studio on a special television program on Friday. They also showed pictures of the vessels, each peppered with bullet holes from the firefight they said took place at a range of 20 metres."
"Prosecutor Edward Robert Campbell told state television on Friday the accused faced a host of possible charges including crimes associated with terrorist acts. If convicted they could face prison terms of up to 15 years for the lesser offences and 20 to 30 years or even the death penalty for the more serious charges."
Cuban prosecutors formally charged six individuals with terrorism crimes following a deadly February 25 shootout between a US-flagged speedboat and Cuba's coast guard. The defendants, based in the US, allegedly packed the vessel with weapons including nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition, 13 rifles, and 11 pistols, intending to destabilize Havana's government. Four people aboard the boat were killed, including at least one US citizen. The coast guard engaged the vessel when it came within one nautical mile of Cuban shores. The accused face provisional detention and potential sentences ranging from 15 years for lesser offenses to 20-30 years or death penalty for serious charges. The incident occurs amid heightened US-Cuba tensions, with the Trump administration pursuing regime change policies and halting oil shipments.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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