U.S. antiterrorist paranoia aimed at Cuba, other countries

Translated by Brian Schwarz

Originally published in the Cuban state-sponsored news source “Granma” (granma.cubaweb.cu) under the heading Paranoia antiterrorista de EE.UU. arremete contra Cuba y otros países. Pictured at right: Cuban President Raúl Castro

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of its antiterrorist paranoia, the U.S. government announced Sunday it will be reinforcing security measures at air terminals throughout the country. The new measures apply stricter controls to passengers arriving from 14 nations, Cuba among them, which Washington accuses of “terrorism supporters”.

North American authorities said the decision is part of a campaign to implement “long term, sustainable security measures”, according to new regulations of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

A high official declared to the AFP news agency [afp.com/afpcom/en] that the controls apply to all passengers who come from or have passed through 14 countries, which include, apart from Cuba, Iran, Sudan, and Syria, and other countries such as Afghanistan, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. The other countries have yet to be specified.

The desperate measure applies to all airlines, be they U.S. airlines or not, and will be effective in the U.S. as of Sunday at midnight.

A political website, which cites a high-ranking official from the Obama administration, also said that “100 percent of those passengers born in or who arrive from those countries will be subject to a rigorous body search and a manual inspection of their personal effects”.

According to U.S. authorities, in a DPA transmission, these procedures guarantee maximum air security in the country from this point forward.

The new supervisory measures will also include, “when necessary, the latest, most advanced detection and imaging technologies,” Europa Press added.