AGENCY INFORMATION 2 AGENCY: FBI RECORD NUMBER: — 124-10206-10352 RECORD SERIES: HO AGENCY FILE NUMBER: 2-2173-22 / DOCUMENT INFORMATION ORIGINATOR: FBI FROM:  LEG.CAR TO: DIRECTOR. FBI TITLE: DATE: 10/07/1976 PAGES: 8 SUBJECT: | CUBANA AIRLINES, BOMBING, ACA, OBA, ASSOC, SUSP, BKG, TRA, PEP DOCUMENT _ TYPE: PAPER. TEXTUAL DOCUMENT ORIGINAL NEW CLASSIFICATION: — >°<et | CLASSIFICATION: REVIEW DATE: — 05/11/1998 UPDATE DATE: STATUS - Redact . RESTRICTIONS: _ JFK Act 6 (1(C) JFK Act 6 (4) COMMENTS: — ‘INC NOTE
— ee i 10/8/76. SECRET = eg GENERAL mvp syonnave DIVISION Attactiéa from’ Legat, Caracas advises of. mere. possibly caused by a bomb, of Cubana Airlines Flight 455 “(DC-8" Aircraft leased. by Cubana from Air Canada), in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Barbados at about 1:45 p.m., | 10/6/76, shortly after takeoff from Seawell Airport, Barbados, en route to Havana, Cuba, via: Kingston, Jamiaca. © No survivors among 78 passengers. Airport . official at Barbados reportedly informed that pilot told | tower there had been an explosion in one of the rear | lavatories of the plane. Flight log recovered after | crash noted. power failure in #4 engine but no mention of }explosion.- Trinidad and-Tobago.-Police (TTP)..are holding. two Venezuelan citizens, Jose Vazquez Garcia and Freddy i Lugo, whom they believe may be connected with this crash. _ TTP request any information of these «fon 10/777 Legat, 4 |, Caracas files negative re individuals.#0On 10/7/76, a confidential source abroad (former h Lug supra, is ; employed by Louis Boe ada, [Eormer head Venezuelan | Counterintelligence ho resigned in 1973. Posada is “ -Cuban’exile known for his anti-Castro activities. This same confidential source advised that in view of arrest © / of Vazquez and Lugo Ene Venezuelan Governmeny is arranging fe) | for Posada and Orlando Bosch Avila (leader of Coordinacion de Organizaciones Revolucionarias Unidas (CORU) to leave [Venezuela as soon as possible. The source all but (3) admitted that Posada and Bosch had engineered the bombing of the airline. From statement of source it appears almost certain that fVenezuelan Governmentd was privy to E ‘activities of Posada and Bosch. Appropriate dissemination -. being made. FBI Identification Division records negative re Lugo and Garcia. Lugo at time of arrest had in possession i address book with Legat Caracas' address. Legat, Caracas has no recollection of ever having met Vazquez*Lugo. Legat, Caracas has had. limited contact with Posada while < - | employed with [Venezuelan Counterintelligence] and after his ef resignation from {Venezuelan Counterintelligénce] in S connection with visa request. FBIHQ files negative re Garcia, however, files indicate Lugo was approached by Cuban Agents (connected with [Embassy] in Caracas) in 1975, and volunteered is] information. Lugo then offered services to [Venezuelan intelligence officials. Legat Caracas Serer? advise #0) a on ow cd 1 - Mr. Held jas THEOR pannel nsstFl “REVI IEWED B a . ——< TS we 1 - Mr. Adams a peer NYERE owonn we JER Ta FORCE 1 - Mr. Leavitt “GTHERNLSE JBL:pdh:sas APPROVED! Ext. Affairs...tc.  Labordidry SS 4** ~ ; © ASSOC. Dif ices Fin. & Pers, ff... Legal n Exe ; I Dep. AD Adm... . Inve _ Pian. ae eevee, e aN PART : Dep: AD Invkyey Ye Re. tIDTAL. GB _ Asst. Dir. ee ANC eens == SPCC. Inv... sips , SOV reeenaion Draining. a
: 6d . . 0 8 fay ie) a te . a ‘ gic ' . - ° 9 TO LEGATT CONTACTING LOCAL POLICE/SECURITY SERVICES. POLICE REQUEST s | o- , 4 ° ° PAGE FOUR CAR 2-9 SECRET “PAGE IN POSSESSION OF LuGO APPARENTLY FROM ADDRESS BOOK WITH LETTER "E” ON IT CITED FOLLOWING: EMBASSY AMERICAN 2846111-1275 FBI JOSEPH LEO 331511. “TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO POLICE aRE FINGERPRINTING BOTH SUSPECTS AND COPYING ALL DOCUMENTS IN THEIR POSSESSION. “TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO POLICE REQUEST URGENTLY ANY INFORMATION OF THESE PERSONS, PARTICULARLY ANY CRIMINAL RECORDS. NO OBJECTION AT LEAST INTERIM REPLY BEFORE 17@@ LOCAL TIME. PLEASE SEND REPLY: NIACT IMMEDIATE. "POLICE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ANYONE FROM LEGaTT OFFICE PLANS TO COME TO TRINIDAD ON THIS CASE, OR HOW YOUR WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE. COPIES OF FINGERPRINTS, ETC." | VENEZUELAN IDENT IFICATION BUREAU ADVISED ON OCTOBER 7, 1976, THAT PASSPORTS. ISSUED TO VAZQUEZ AND LUGO ARE VALID. PTJ, CARACAS, INFORMED THAT. NEITHER HAS PRIOR ARREST RECORD. LEGAT HAS NO RECCLLECT ION OF EVER HAVING MET VAZQUEZ OR LiG0. CARACAS FILES NEGATIVE REGARDING THEM. \9? ON OCTOBER 7, 1976, A CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE ABROAD ADVISED THAT (ZO . END PAGE FOUR) STATE DEO Whe 2eWAns USCLASS 1F1€0 (Feom PAGE na Pade) T°ETC.” 4) Pere Des Avtneeiry 97/9. SECRET
PAGE FIVE CAR 2-9 \, ECRET a - | _ FREDDY LUGO IS A VENEZUALEN NEWSMAN WHO IS ALSO EMPLOYED AS AN IN- VESTIGATOR BY LUIS Posap a, [FORMER HEAD OF THE COUNTERINTELL IGENCE DIVISION, DISIP,| CARACAS. HE RESIGNED FROM HIS POSIT 10N (WITH DISIP|G) IN 1973, [AFTER THE ELECTION OF VENEZ (ELAN PRESIDENT CARLOS ANDRES Rez] posapa IS A CUBAN EXILE wHO IS KNOWN FOR HIS ANT I-CaSTRO ACTIVITIES, AND HE REPORTEDLY ASSISTED ORLANDO BOSH AVILA IN 1974, “GHORTLY BEFORE BOSCH WAS ARRESTED BY VENEZUELAN AUTHORIT res. BO LEGAT BECAME ACQUAINTED wITH POSADA WHILE THE LaTTER was [AFFILIATED WITH DISIP lo AFTER HIS RESIGNATION, POSADA CONTINUED TO CONTACT LEGAT ON RARE OCCASIONS,- USUALLY IN ORDER TO OBTAIN FERSONALIZED SERVICE IN CONNECTION WITH VISA REQUESTS. IN VIEW OF LUGO*S EMPLOYMENT BY POSADA, LEGAT ASSUMES HIS NAME aND TELEPHONE NUMBER WERE FURNISHED TO LO BY POSADA. LEGAT ESTIMATES HE Has EEN POSADA IN PERSON ON PERHAPS THREE OCCASIONS SINCE 1973, THE LAST TIME BEING ON JUNE 19, 1976, WHEN POSADA VISITED LEGAT OFFICE TO INQUIRE IF FBI HAD INTEREST IN CARLO BORDONI Q@UFILE 291686543 C\RFILE 29-15). INFORMED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, POSADA REVEALED BORDONI HAD HIRED TWO OF HIS OPERATIVES aS ARMED BODY GUARDS aT HIS HOME. THAT INFORMAT ION WAS SUBSEQUENTLY PaSSED BY LEGaT To[VENE- ZUELAN POL ICE] wHO WERE INVOLVED. IN THE ARREST ACTION AGAINST BORDONT. (A? END PAGE FIVE
v 3 BS Co, ne * ’ a cr eo a? tb . > oe Nore og 2 a) e . ‘ o. 2 R 7 0 “PAGE SIX CAR 2-9 SME CRET POSADA MORE OFTEN REFERRED TO LEGAT RELAT IVES AND ASSOCIATES SEEKING ADVICE REGARDING VISAS, THE LAST BEING ONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES , HER NAN RICARDO LOZANO, WHO SOUGHT a VISA TO TRAVEL TO SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO, ON OCTOBER ft, 1976. LEGAT wILh PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFO “DEVELOPED REGARDING RICARDO IN A SUBSEQUENT communrcaT 10N. 37 ON OCTOBER 7, 1976, THE CONFIDENTIAL SOURCE FURTHER ADVISED THAT IN VIEW OF THE ARREST OF VAZQUEZ AND L1GO IN TRINID@D, THE[VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENTPWAS ARRANGING FOR LUIS POSADA AND ORLAND BOSCH AVILA TO LEAVE (Gewez ve. é AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE SOURCE ALL BUT AD MITT ED THAT POSADA AND BOSCH HAD ENGINEERED THE BOMBING OF THE AIRLINE, AND }E PROMISED TO FURNISH FURTHER DETAILS ON OCTOBER 8, 1976. GO ADMIN TSTRAT. IVE? CONFIDENT IAIL SOURCE IS RICARDO MORALES NAVARRETE, “Head , “COUNT ERINT ELL IGENCE DIVISION, DISIP, CARACAS, VEN EZUEL A. ge (tu | . FROM SFATEMENTS OF MORALES, IT APPEARS ALMOST CERTAIN THAT THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT was PRIVY TO THE ACTIVITIES OF POSADA AND "BOSCH AND THAT IT NOW WILL ATTEMPT TO DISASSOCIATE ITSELF FROM THEM FOR FEAR OF RETALIATION BY THE CIBAN GOVERNMENT. ey | at | SECRET