Cuba Executes Ferry Hijackers

According to an official statement three members of a group that hijacked a ferry last week to escape to USA have been executed
As Cubans trying to get to the United States keep on hijacking planes and ferries to achieve it, national courts decided to put an end to the situation and shot dead three men found guilty of hijacking a boat last week. The trial took place on Tuesday in Havana for "very grave acts of terrorism"; the men were convicted and executed on Friday.

Apparently, Cuban commandos captured eight or 10 hijackers after the boat they were in ran out of fuel. The group was trying to escape to the United States, where the government usually grants residency to those Cubans who reach US coasts.

Havana is bitterly critical about this rule implemented by Washington only for Cuban citizens, since Castro's revolution toppled the dictatorial regime of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Recently, there have been several high-profile hijackings of planes and vessels, performed by groups encouraged by the Cuban community living in the US State of Florida.

According to the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina, Cuba's authorities frustrated on Thursday an attempt to hijack an airplane in the South of the island to drive it to an airport in USA. Individuals armed with AK-M rifles broke in the airport of Nueva Gerona and tried to reach the aircraft but the operation was aborted by the intervention of Army officers.

Havana blamed on Washington for these acts. In an official statement, local authorities said that the US Government was encouraging and rewarding these groups to carry on with "terrorist activities" like hijacking of planes and vessels. Cuba also says that the Office of US interests in Havana helps internal conspirators to plot against the revolutionary government of Fidel Castro.

"This is part of a wicked plan against Cuba, masterminded by US Government's far rights group and the terrorist Mafia of Miami", concludes the official statement.

On March 19, six hijackers alternated the route of a DC-3 internal flight to Miami, carrying on 31 passengers. US authorities detained the hijackers, while the Cuban passengers opted to come back to the island. Cuba accuses the group of terrorism, but as there are no extradition agreements between both countries, Florida's tribunals will sue them.