Today in History - Oct 6 - The Bombing of Cubana Flight 455

October 6 is the anniversary of The Bombing of Cubana Flight 455 in 1976. Killing all 73 people on board, it was the most deadly terrorist attack on an airplane in the Americas until 2001, and it was performed by an agent of the CIA.

Luis Posada and fellow terrorist Orlando Bosch planned the attack. Luis Posada had a very long history with the CIA. An anti-Castro terrorist seemed like a good fit for them. They helped him set up a terrorist training camp in the 60s. He was involved with the Bay of Pigs invasion. He provided the CIA with assistance and intelligence all the way through the 80s.

In his free time, he would dabble in drug running, terrorism, and assassinations. The CIA would sometimes wave their finger at him, but mostly look the other way and cover up his crimes. Especially when the violence was towards Cuban officials. As such, they didn't do much when they heard that he was going to bomb a Cuban plane a few days before the attack.

After the attack, they did their best to cover up any association with the man. But two men by the names of Freddy Lugo and Hernan Lozano carried out the attack. They were quickly caught. They confessed, and gave up the names of the CIA stooge and his cohort, as well as their connection to the CIA. All four stood trial in Venezuela.

Lugo and Lozano served long prison sentences. Bosch got off on a technicality. Posada escaped from prison, and after a few more years of doing work in South America for the CIA, found his way back to the US. He was caught crossing the border illegaly in Texas. But unlike most, he was released and allowed to move to Florida. The US refused to extradite him to Cuba or Venezuela, because "he faced the threat of torture".

Both Bosch and Posada died of old age living free in Miami. Even after the US' much touted "War on Terror", terrorism is perfectly acceptable to the corrupt regime, so long as it's against citizens of "enemy" countries.