Cuba Blasts U.S. for Slow Action to Shooting Attack At its Embassy
The government of Cuba is complaining about lack of action by the United States following what it called a terrorist attack on its embassy in the U.S. capital.
A gunman reportedly fired shots at its embassy in April, damaging the front of the building in Washington, D.C.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, in an interview with U.S. cable network CNN last month, accused the U.S. of being sluggish in sharing information about the attack and failing to condemn it.
“The attacker confessed that he aimed to kill,” Rodriguez Parrilla told CNN. “It’s a very serious issue. Can you imagine that which would be the U.S. reaction in a similar case of a similar attack against an American embassy anywhere in the world?”
The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, however, insisted Cuban diplomats in the U.S. are safe as “the security and safety of foreign missions in the United States”is ensured.
ARREST
Cuban-born Alexander Alazo, a resident of the U.S., was arrested in connection with the shooting, which occurred on April 30. He was charged with possessing an unregistered firearm and assault with intent to kill, plus charges relationg to attacking a foreign embassy. He is currently in custody awaiting trial.
Surveillance video reportedly showed the gunman shooting through a fence at the embassy at about 2 a.m. The shots shattered a window and pierced a statue of Jose Marti, a Cuban revolutionary hero. No one was injured, although Cuban embassy staff and diplomats were inside and bullets entered the building.
Rodriguez Parrilla also criticized U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for “constantly advocating against Cuban medical co-operation (during the novel coronavirus pandemic),” telling CNN Pompeo had “slandered Cuban medical doctors instead of saying one word about the terrorist attack that happened a few blocks not only from the White House but from the State Department.”
Cuba-U.S. relations have soured appreciably in recent years, with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump rolling back sanctions relief implemented by former President Barack Obama.
