ARREST OF DIPLOMAT

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29983, 19 November 1962, Page 11

ARREST OF DIPLOMAT

Cuban On Sabotage Conspiracy Charge (N-Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) NEW YORK, November 18. The Cuban delegation will protest to the United Nations over the arrest of one of its attaches in a sabotage conspiracy case, authoritative sources said today. The Cuban delegation itself withheld comment but it was believed the Cubans would base their protest on the claim that the attache, Roberto Santiesteban Casanova, had diplomatic immunity, the Associated Press reported. Three Cubans were arrested in New York yesterday by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents on charges which included conspiracy to commit sabotage.

Their arrest followed the seizure of a cache of explosives and incendiary devices in the attic of a building in Manhattan.

The Government complaint alleged that the materials were “for the purpose of injuring and destroying national defence materials, premises, and utilities” in the New York area.

An F.B.L spokesman said the inquiry had suggested that large retail stores in Manhattan and oil refineries in New Jersey were among possible targets. Those arrested were Santiesteban, aged 27. who arrived in New York on October 3; Marino Antonio Esteban del Carmen Sueiro Cabrera. aged 22, and Jose Garcia Orelanna, aged 42.

The bombs and other equipment were found in a workshop used by Garcia in Manhattan. Suerio claimed he was employed there parttime.

The F. 8.1. said that Santiesteban had a loaded Mauser semi-automatic pistol on him when he was picked up, and that he became violent before

“G-men” managed to subdue him. He was also said to have been in possession of formulas for making explosives, and had unsuccessfully tried to swallow them when he was arrested. The three arrested men were later charged in Federal Court with conspiring to violate a Federal statute prohibiting destruction of national defence materials or utility installations in time of peace, and with conspiring to violate another statute forbidding anyone other than a diplomat or consular officer

from acting as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the United States Secretary of State. Santiesteban was remanded in custody in lieu of 250,000 dollars bond, for hearing next Friday. Garcia and Seuiro were remanded on 100,000 dollars bail each for action by a grand jury.

The F. 8.1. said that the alleged conspirators trained other pro-Castro Cubans in New York in the use of the weapons and explosives found in their possession. Shortly after the F. 8.1. announcement, the United States mission to the United Nations sent a note to the Cuban mission requesting the “immediate departure” of Jose Gomez Ahad, aged 21, and his wife, Elsa, aged 20, for “gross violation of their status as members of a permanent mission to the United Nations.” The note said the United States considered their “criminal activity a most flagrant breach of the privileges of residence.”

Concerning Santiesteban, the United States Note said that he did not possess diplomatic immunity and that he would be subject to prosecution under United States Federal statutes. The United Nations Secretary-General (U Thant) was given a copy of the United States Note. The F. 8.1. said the seized arms included hand grenades, incendiary devices, detonators, and other equipment which was usually linked with sabotage operations and guerrilla warfare. The Federal complaint alleged the three men conspired to gather information about American military installations and also to “obtain and possess incendiary devices and other explosive materials for the purposes of injuring and destroying national defence materials, premises, and utilities” in New York.

Havana Radio said yesterday that arrests were “a Yankee manoeuvre” to counteract the sensation of a sabotage plot foiled in Cuba. The broadcast said: “The slanderous accusation against three Cuban citizens” stemmed from “the recent arrest of a United States Central Intelligence agent in Cuba who tried to blow up a mining installation.” Several days ago the Cuban Government arrested a Cuban, accused him of being chief agent of the C.1.A., and said he tried to cause an explosion that would have endangered the lives of 400 workers in the Matahambre copper mine in Pinar del Rio Province,