Name :
Luis Clemente Faustino Posada Carriles; referred to most frequently as Luis Posada Carriles. Also, according to a declassified CIA file, known as "Bamby."
Claim to notoriety:
Posada may be the world's only former CIA operative who is wanted on charges related to international terrorism. An anti-Castro Cuban, Posada was schooled by the CIA in its infamous "School of the Americas," reputed to be a training ground for Latin American right-wing counterinsurgency. He's best known for having helped bring down a Cuban airlines flight in 1976 to signal his opposition to Fidel Castro's regime, an opposition the U.S. shares. Posada sometimes plays a role in Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories.
Objectives:
Posada's main goal is the overthrow of the Marxist Castro regime, and the removal of Fidel Castro from power.
Notable Attacks:
- 1976: Explosion of Cubana Flight 455. Plastic explosives packed in a toothpaste tube caused the plane's crash. All of the 73 passengers on board, including the entire Cuban Olympic fencing team, were killed. Posada is associated with the bombing in FBI and CIA documents. The bombing was carried out by two Venezuelans, one of whom worked for Posada.
- 1997 Cuban bombings: Posada may have been involved in bombings in Cuba that led to the a number of injuries and one death.
- 2000: Planned assassination of Fidel Castro in Panama. In 2000, Posada was arrested with 200 pounds of explosives, along with three associates.
Posada and the CIA:
Posada arrived in the United States in 1961, and joined the CIA. He attended the School of the Americas (now renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation), a Spanish language army training facility in Georgia. There he trained to participate in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The Bay of Pigs was a U.S. funded effort to overthrow the Castro regime. Castro moved to Miami, Florida, and participated in a variety of CIA anti-Castro efforts, or other activities in the Caribbean. In the 1980s, Posada may have helped supply arms to right-wing Nicaraguan contras under the direction of a CIA operative.
Early Background:
Posada was born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, in 1928. He studied medicine there. As a young man, Posada was galvanized by the 1959 Cuban revolution. He actively opposed the regime from its beginning, then made his way to the United States. After his stint with the CIA ended in 1967, Posada moved to Venezuela. There, he worked for the Venezuelan secret police. Later, he opened a private security firm in Venezuela.
Organizational Affiliations:
Posada was possibly associated with JURE, the Junta Revolucionaria Cubana, a leftist, but anti-Soviet and anti-Castro organization of Cuban exiles formed in 1962, aimed at the overthrow of Castro's government. The organization was supported by the United States, but the group opposed significant involvement.
Posada is also known as a member of the Coordinate of United Revolutionary Organizations (CORU). CORU was founded in the Dominican Republic in 1976, with the goal of carrying out terrorist attacks against Cuba.
Where He Is Now:
As of 2007, Posada is in detention in El Paso, New Mexico. He is being held on an immigration violation. The Bush Administration has been extremely reluctant to prosecute Posada. Both Cuba and Venezuela have requested Posada's extradition for trial.