Alpha 66 and Omega 7
Are Alpha 66 and Omega 7 Domestic or International Organizations?
After Fidel Castro's Revolutionary movement overthrew the Batista regime in Cuba and declared his country a Socialist nation allied with the Soviet Union -- the principle enemy of the United States at the time -- many Cubans opposed to Castro flocked to the United States. Many of these refugees and exiles were wealthy businessmen who were committed to overthrowing the Castro regime. The anti-Castro opposition by Cuban exiles took different forms, some of them advocating dialogue or diplomatic opposition, while others taking a hardliner position, engaging in militant activities (Garcia, 1998). The Cuban exile organizations known as Alpha 66 and Omega 7 were among the latter, resorting to violent activities inside and outside the United States, attacking persons and installations belonging to the Castro government and its allies as well as those in the United States who were sympathetic to dialogue with Cuba. These two organizations got involved in domestic and international affairs in a violent manner and their activities therefore meet the criteria of both domestic and international terrorism.
United States defines terrorism as a violent act "or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State" and involves intimidation and coercion of a civilian population; influencing "the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion"; and affecting "the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping." The definition of international terrorism stipulates that such acts "occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished," while domestic terrorism pertains to terrorist acts that "occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States" (U.S. Code). The activities of both Alpha 66 and Omega 7 meet these criteria, and therefore both of these organizations could be charged with domestic and international terrorism for their violent activities within and outside the United States. Some of the attacks by Alpha 66 and Omega 7 targeted foreign diplomats in the United States, which technically falls into the category of both domestic and international terrorism.
Omega 7 was a violent Miami-based anti-Castro terrorist organization, founded by Eduardo Arocena on September 11, 1974. The group's name derived from the fact that there were originally seven members from various anti-Castro factions. Their total number is believed to have never been more than twenty. According to the FBI Investigation, the group was supported by the Cuban Nationalist Movement [CNM|, a larger anti-Castro group with greater resources available and responsible for a car-bomb assassination of Orlando Letelier, a former Chilean Ambassador to the United States. Omega 7 primarily operated in New Jersey, New York, and Florida areas. They mostly targeted Cuban diplomats or any individual, business, or organization that had links to the Communist government of Cuba. Omega 7 resorted to bombings, assassinations, shootings, and their "terrorist attacks were usually well-planned and flawlessly executed." Some members of Omega 7 received CIA training in "demolition, intelligence, and commando techniques" and were veterans of the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961. Combined with the resourced provided to them by wealthy Cuban exiles, Omega 7 members' expertise in militancy gave them "an almost unlimited potential for terrorist activity" (U.S. Department of Justice, 1993; Prieto, 2009, p. 121).
After Arocena was arrested in 1983 by the FBI, the organization's structure and power significantly weakened. In the following years, many members of Omega 7 were arrested and plead guilty to conspiracy to destroy the property of a foreign government, while Arocena admitted to being the leader of the organization and provided the FBI with information on the group's plans to assassinate the Cuban Ambassador to the United Nations Raul Roa-Kouri and Cuban Interest Section in the U.S. Ramon Sanchez Parodi. According to the FBI, Omega 7 was also involved in narcotics trafficking but has not been involved in any attacks since then (U.S. Department of Justice, 1993; Prieto, 2009, p. 122).
Alpha 66 was also formed by Cuban exiles and some early members included veterans of the Bay of Pigs invasion. The organization was formed in Puerto Rico in 1961, and unlike Omega 7, Alpha 66 directed most of its attacks against...
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