Anti-Castro terrorist illegally enters U.S.

A notorious anti-Castro terrorist who is still wanted by Venezuela on terrorism charges has been admitted into the United States, underscoring the hypocrisy of the Bush administration’s so-called war on terror.

Luis Posada Carriles, a Cuban exile, Bay of Pigs veteran and CIA operative who conspired with Orlando Bosch of Miami to bomb a Cubana Airlines jet in 1976 — killing all 73 on board — has reportedly entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico. His lawyer said Posada will seek asylum here.

Posada, 77, has boasted of his role in that crime. Although he was previously acquitted of the bombing charges, he was in jail awaiting a prosecutor’s appeal when he escaped with help from his Florida compatriots.

He has also bragged about his role in the bombings of Havana tourist hotels in 1997, crimes he described in an extraordinary interview that appeared in the New York Times on July 12, 1998.

In late 2000, Posada was arrested by Panamanian authorities along with three-Miami based Cubans for conspiring to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro during a summit in Panama City. The four were subsequently convicted on lesser charges, but were later pardoned by outgoing President Mireya Moscoso.

Lázaro Barredo, a deputy in Cuba’s National Assembly, called the possibility of a Florida welcome for Posada as an “attack on decency.” President Fidel Castro called Posada a “monster,” adding, “It is as if Bin Laden were in the United States and the U.S. president did not know.”

Posada’s lawyer told Reuters that his application for asylum will party be based on his claim that he worked “directly and indirectly” for the CIA for many years.