Tribute paid in Cuba to victims of the Barbados Crime

Cuba paid tribute on Sunday to the 73 victims of the terrorist attack committed 48 years ago against a Cubana de Aviación plane off the coast of Barbados and whose perpetrators were never prosecuted for the crime.

In tribute to the dead of the terrorist action that took place on October 6, 1976, authorities and a representation of the Cuban people marched this Sunday in pilgrimage to the capital's Colon Necropolis, as is customary on the island on the anniversary of the tragedy.

Floral offerings from the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Raúl Castro, and President Miguel Díaz-Canel accompanied the tribute.

On social networks, leaders of the Caribbean nation remembered the victims of the Barbados crime and expressed their heartfelt tribute.

Díaz-Canel pointed out in X that his country, together with the Caribbean Community, commemorates on this day Caricom-Cuba Day against terrorism.

“This anniversary represents our heartfelt tribute to the victims of the heinous crime of Barbados and deepens the commitment of Caricom and Cuba to confront all manifestations of terrorism,” the president stressed on the social network.

The crime of Barbados, as the destruction of the CU-455 aircraft with bombs installed inside it is known, is so far considered the worst attack of this type in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most brutal acts of terrorism carried out against the Cuban Revolution by people at the service of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

According to investigations, it was orchestrated in Venezuela by Cuban-born terrorists Luis Posada Carriles and Orlando Bosch, who used Venezuelans Hernán Ricardo and Freddy Lugo to place the bombs inside the plane.

Ricardo and Lugo were sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Bosch, after a brief period in detention, was acquitted on technicalities and Posada Carriles was in prison for eight years, but managed to escape with the support of prison guards.

Later, Posada Carriles and Bosch found refuge in the U.S. city of Miami, where they continued to plan violent and destabilizing actions against the largest of the Antilles until their deaths.

In Cuba, October 6 was officially established as the Day of the Victims of State Terrorism.