Cuba Escape Attempt Leaves Four Dead and Six Arrested

HAVANA TIMES — At least four persons were murdered and six others were arrested in an incident involving an attempted escape by Cuban citizens, reported the authorities on Wednesday.

The four bodies were found Tuesday at a farm in the town of Playa Baracoa, in the township of Bauta, about 25 kilometers west of Havana in the province of Artemisa, reported dpa news.

All four victims had been “violently killed,” said the Cuban Interior Ministry in a statement. Six people are arrested for the crime related to “an alleged plan to leave the country illegally with outside support,” states the text, without elaborating on what happened.

The TV news said that the authorities are investigating the facts.

For decades Cuba had prevented its citizens from traveling abroad freely. Since January 2013, however, Cubans can now leave the island without an exit permit. However, two of the main incentives for illegal immigration are the difficulties in obtaining visas from other countries and the money needed to travel.

The news of the deaths and arrests comes shortly after it became known that at least eight dancers of the National Ballet of Cuba had abandoned their troupe on a recent trip to Puerto Rico. The artists fled to Miami, where they will receive government assistance and a fast track to permanent residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act.

Likewise Café Fuerte reports of the defection of two Cuban tennis players who also were in Puerto Rico, in their case for a Davis Cup elimination match. The athletes, Randy White, 21, and Ernesto Alfonso, 24, arrived Tuesday night in the United States.