OMEGA
7
[REF: binder part 7 ]
U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Washington D.C. 20535
October 29, 1993
OMEGA SEVEN (7)
Omega
7, a violent Miami, Florida-based anti-Castro Cuban terrorist group, was
formed on September 11, 1974, by Eduardo Arocena. The name Omega 7
comes from the fact that there were seven original members from different
anti-Castro Cuban factions. The number of individuals actively participating
in this group was believed to be less than 20 members. However, Omega
7 was condoned and supported by the Cuban Nationalist Movement (CNM), whose
membership and resources were considerably larger. The CNM, a violent
anti-Castro Cuban exile group, was founded in 1960. However, pressure
on the CNM as a result of the September 21, 1976, car-bomb assassination
of the former Chilean Ambassador Orlando Letelier, and the arrest of Armando
Santana, its leader in the late 1970s, essentially destroyed the group.
The main
areas of operation for the Omega 7 were the New York, New Jersey, and Miami,
Florida, areas. Its primary targets were representatives of the Cuban
Government or any individual, organization, facility, or business that dealt
with or supported in any way, the communist government of Fidel Castro.
The majority of Omega 7 attacks were bombings, shootings, and assassinations.
Its terrorist attacks were usually well-planned and flawlessly executed.
Many of the Omega 7 members were veterans of the Bay of Pigs invasion who
were trained in demolition, intelligence, and commando techniques.
Their expertise, combined with the financial resources available to them
through the exiled Cuban community, gave the Omega 7 an almost unlimited
potential for terrorist activity.
In 1983,
Arocena was arrested and prosecuted on 42 counts of violating Federal statutes
pertaining to conspiracy, explosives, firearms, destruction of foreign government
property within the United States, and destruction of property in interstate
and foreign commerce. Several Omega 7 members were prosecuted
during 1984, for refusing to testify before a Federal Grand Jury. During
1986, three of its members pled guilty to conspiracy to destroy property
of a foreign government. There have been no Omega 7 attacks since 1983.
OMEGA 7 BACKGROUND AND THE FBI INVESTIGATION
Omega
7 developed out of the Cuban anti-Castro community in Newark, New Jersey.
Like potential future violent anti-Castro groups, Omega 7 was composed of
militant members of established organizations who wanted immediate action
against the Government of Cuba. During late 1974, Eduardo Arocena,
founder and leader of the group, recruited members of the Movimiento Insurreccional
Martiano (MIM) to form the nucleus of Omega 7. The MIM, which is named
after the 19th Century Cuban writer-politician Jose Marti, was organized
after a split occurred within the anti-Castro group Insurrectional Movement
for Revolutionary Recovery (MIRR) during the late 1960s. Arocena also
began to contact members of the Cuban Nationalist Movement (CNM). The
cnm had been active in the United States since 1959 and had conducted several
bombings and terrorist attacks during the 1960s. For instance, in 1964,
Guillermo and Ignacio Novo, members of the CNM, fired a bazooka at the United
Nations building while hero of the Cuban revolution, Ernesto "Che" Guevara,
was delivering a speech. The shop fell short of the United Nations,
landing in the East River almost hitting a freighter.
After
Omega 7 was formed, it remained independent of both the CNM and MIM, although
individuals from the three different groups continued to associate with each
other. According to Arocena, Guillermo Novo, leader of the CNM during
the mid-1970s, knew that Arocena and others were members of Omega 7; however,
in an effort to confuse law enforcement authorities, the CNM claimed that
it was Omega 7. These coordinated deception efforts were effective.
From 1975 until early 1981, it was generally believed that the CNM was Omega
7. It wasn't until after investigations linked the CNM to the
September, 1976, car bombing which killed former Chilean Ambassador to the
United States Orlando Letelier and his associate Ronni Moffet that it was
determined that Omega 7 and the CNM were separated organizations. Pressure
on the CNM as a result of the Letelier investigation and the arrest of Armando
Santana, its leader in the late 1970s essentially destroyed the group.
Currently, Virgilio Paz and Dionisio Suarez, CNM members who were also known
to be associated with Omega 7, remain FBI fugitives for their roles in the
Letelier assassination.
THE FBI INVESTIGATION
During
December, 1980, shortly after a bombing at the Cuban consulate in Montreal,
Canada, Pedro Remon and Ramon Sanchez were stopped by U.S. immigration and
Naturalization Service (INS) officials when they attempted to run the border
back into the United States. Their identities were determined and they
were released by INS. The information obtained by INS was forwarded
to the FBI and the Omega 7 investigation began to focus on their activities
and those of their associates Eduardo Arocena, Andres Garcia and Eduardo
Fernandez Losada. All these suspects were from the Newark, New Jersey
area with the exception of Sanchez, who was known as a staunch anti-Castro
activist from Miami, Florida, who had a previously proven propensity for
violence.
Investigation
into Pedro Remon's background indicated that he was in frequent telephonic
contact with Eduardo Arocena, with many of the telephone calls occurring
around the times of Omega 7 crimes. Moreover, record checks and interviews
at car rental agencies disclosed that Arocena and Remon had rented cars at
Newark International Airport shortly before several Omega 7 crimes.
Comparison with New York City Police Department records revealed that one
of Arocena's rental cars received a parking ticket across the street from
the Cuban Mission to the United Nations (CMUN) in New York on the day Omega
7 assassinated Cuban diplomat Felix Garcia Rodriguez. Subpoenaed records
turned up a copy of Arocena's canceled check paying the parking ticket.
FBI investigation
into the activities of the suspects led to grand jury proceedings in the
Southern District of New York. On September 2, 1982, Arocena and other
suspected Omega 7 members were subpoenaed to appear and testify before the
grand jury. All the suspects except Arocena asserted their Fifth Amendment
privilege against self-incrimination. Arocena, although advised of
his status as a subject in the investigation, testified and insisted that
he had no connection to Omega 7, that he had no idea how Omega 7 raised funds,
and that he knew nothing about Omega 7 other than what he read in the newspaper.
Following
his grand jury appearance, Arocena gave fingerprints and handwriting exemplars.
While doing this, he was urged to cooperate with the government. Arocena
said he would think about it and, after several additional contacts, agreed
to meet on September 24, 1982. After some initial discussion in which
Arocena claimed that he "represented Omar," the leader of Omega 7, Arocena
finally admitted he was Omar.
While
cooperating, Arocena provided the first solid insights into Omega 7 and details
on the numerous bombings and two murders committed by the group. After
cooperating for 5 days, and traveling from New York to Miami, Florida in
an attempt to locate over 600 pounds of explosives to which Pedro Remon allegedly
had access Arocena failed to attend several scheduled meetings with the FBI.
On October 1, 1982, Arocena telephoned Agents and said that he had gone into
hiding. He remained a fugitive until his arrest in Miami on July 22,
1983.
OMEGA 7 ACTIONS
The two
murders committed by Omega 7 were the assassinations of Eulalio Jose Negrin,
a pro-Castro Cuban activist in Union City, New Jersey and Felix Garcia
Rodriguez, a Cuban diplomat assigned to the CMUN. Arocena, while cooperating,
identified Pedro Remon as the trigger man in both of the assassinations.
Negrin, who was shot in front of his son on November 25, 1979, was killed
because of his pro-Castro activities. Garcia, killed on September 11,
1980, the sixth anniversary of the founding of Omega 7, was shot with the
same weapons as Negrin, a MAC 10 machine gun. He was assassinated because
he was a Cuban official and represented a target of opportunity. Arocena
had originally planned to have four Cuban officials killed on September 11,
1980, however this plan was aborted when Omega 7 members following the Cuban
officials lost them in heavy traffic.
Arocena,
while cooperating, also provided information on the Omega 7 attempts to assassinate
Raul Roa-Kouri, Cuban ambassador to the United Nations, and Ramon Sanchez
Parodi, Chief, Cuban Interests Section (CUBIS), Washington, D.C., during
1980. The Roa-Kouri attempt was conducted on March 25, 1980 when Pedro
Remon placed a bomb with a radio controlled firing system on the gas tank
of Roa Kouri's car. The firing system for this bomb had originally
been assembled for use in a bomb intended to assassinate Fidel Castro in
October, 1979 when he attended a session of the United Nations. However,
this attempt was aborted because Arocena was not able to have the bomb placed
close enough to Castro. Arocena subsequently disassembled the bomb
and retained it for future use.
In the
Roa-Kouri assassination attempt, the bomb, with the same radio controlled
firing system used in the aborted attempt on Castro, was attached to the
gas tank of the car by magnets; however, it fell off and was discovered after
the chauffeur accidentally backed into another vehicle while parking.
Arocena, who had the responsibility of detonating the bomb by remote control,
called off the attack after the bomb fell off the car because of a large
number of school children in the area.
The assassination
attempt on Sanchez Parodi was to be conducted during late September, 1980
but was cancelled after Remon and Eduardo Losada Fernandez were arrested
in Belleville, New Jersey on September 24, 1982, while attempting to steal
a car. Remon and Losada were going to use the stolen car to drive to
Washington, D.C. to bomb CUBIS in an attempt to kill Sanchez Parodi.
In addition
to providing information on the assassinations and attempted assassinations,
Arocena provided the FBI with details on how he constructed bombs used in
most of the Omega 7 operations and information on a split in the organization
which occurred during late 1980. Arocena stated that he personally
constructed most of the explosive devices used by Omega 7. The bombs
usually consisted of either Gelodyne, dynamite or military C-4 and were constructed
using detonating cord as a booster. Arocena, who received his training
in explosives from Cuba exiles who had been trained by the CIA, would prime
the detonation cord with the blasting cap, knot the detonation cord on the
other end and place the knot into the main explosive charge. This was
done because some commercial blasting caps are not powerful enough to detonate
certain types of explosives, especially C-4. (Appendix 2 contains a
list of Omega 7 actions.)
While
cooperating with the FBI, Arocena acknowledged that early 1981 an ideological
split took place in Omega 7. According to Arocena, Omega 7 members
Pedro Remon, Eduardo Ochoa, Ramon Sanchez, Alberto Perez and Jose Gracia,
Jr. were aligning themselves with the philosophy of Huber Matos (supra) and
his group CID. Arocena considered Matos an opportunist with socialist
and communist tendencies. He did not want Omega 7 members associated
with his philosophy or organization; consequently, a split took place.
In addition
to philosophical differences within Omega 7, it appears that in late 1980,
Pedro Remon and Ramon Sanchez may have been attempting to take control of
the group from Arocena. The fight for control of Omega 7 and the philosophical
differences between Arocena and Remon led to a permanent split in early 1981.
Arocena, and Remon led to a permanent split in early 1981. Arocena,
who had moved to Miami, Florida in the fall of 1980, completely ended his
relationship with Remon and the other Omega 7 members and began recruiting
new members for the group in Miami. Some of these new recruits were
Ernesto Gomez, Gerardo Necuze, Ignacio Gonzalez and Justo M. Rodriguez.
Remon, Sanchez, Garcia, Losada and Ochoa remained together and bombed the
Cuban Consulate in Montreal, Canada in December, 1980. As previously
stated, it was after this bombing that Remon and Sanchez were stopped by
INS officials and FBI investigations began to focus on their activities.
A full
understanding and conclusive identification of Omega 7 members did not take
place until Arocena began cooperating with the FBI in September, 1982.
Although his cooperation only lasted five days, after which he fled and resumed
bombing attacks in Miami, he provided the FBI with a general understanding
of the past activities and objectives of the organization. The information
Arocena provided directly implicated himself and other members of Omega 7
in the numerous bombings and two murders. Although it remains unclear,
it is believed Arocena cooperated because he believed Remon and other Omega
7 members were cooperating with the grand jury and implicating him in the
murders of Negrin and Garcia and the Omega 7 bombings. Arocena also
apparently believed that Guillermo Novo (supra), who was involved in the
Letelier assassination in 1976, had identified him as the leader of Omega
7 to law enforcement authorities as early as 1979.
PERCEPTIONS AND FUNDING OF OMEGA 7
ANTI-CASTRO ACTIVITY BY THE CUBAN EXILE COMMUNITY
While
Omega 7 was active, a significant portion of the Cuban exile community viewed
the attacks against Cuban officials and Castro supporters in the United States
as a continuation of the patriotic fight against communism. Omega 7
members considered themselves liberators of the Cuban people and vowed to
continue their fight until Cuba was free of Castro and communism. Elements
within the exile community provided Omega 7 with support by contributing
money for operations or merely denying knowledge of Omega 7 activities.
The support usually came about either out of sympathy or fear of reprisal.
For instance, individuals who were believed to be in contact with Omega 7
members would often intentionally supply misleading or incorrect information
when interviewed by the FBI. Even when confronted with documentation
such as surveillance logs and photographs placing them in contact with Omega
7 suspects, the individuals being interviewed would disclaim association.
This type of support provided Omega 7 with a secure base of operation which
was difficult for law enforcement personnel to penetrate.
Although
current information is incomplete, it appears that some Cuban exile businessmen
in the Union City, New Jersey, area clandestinely funded Omega 7 and other
Cuban anti-Castro groups. The businessmen established a network which
would collect money in the form of "taxes" from all segments of the Cuban
community who were able to contribute and then divide the money between the
various groups they supported. The businessmen would not necessarily
sanction or direct specific anti-Castro activities; however, their ability
to provide financial support probably gave them, at a minimum, indirect control
over the various groups. Current reporting, although fragmented, suggests
that the businessmen, who may still be active in funding anti-Castro groups,
were involved in the flow of over $100,000 to the various groups.
PERCEPTIONS OF OMEGA 7 BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA
In contrast
to being viewed as freedom fighters against the tyranny of Cuban communism
by the exile community, the GOC identified Omega 7 as its number one enemy
in the United States, and in so doing enhanced the status of the group within
the exile community. The GOC has historically considered its principal
target in the United States to be the anti-Castro groups. The
Cuban intelligence services (CuIS) actively direct assets in the United States
to report on the plans, objectives, goals, and personnel of the various anti-Castro
groups. CuIS have also been known to use their assets in the United
States to attempt to confuse and fragment the exile community. In 1981,
for instance, when Huber Matos' group CID was gaining power and support within
the exile community, CuIS was gaining power and support within the exile
community, CuIS contacted one of their assets and had him print leaflets
sharply critical of the CID. The leaflets were fraudulently signed
by another exile group, the Junta Patriotica Cubana (JPC). The
CuIS objective in this operation was to cause a confrontation between the
JPC and CID, thereby disrupting the entire Cuban exile community.
Although
the CuIS were and continue to be able to successfully penetrate most of the
anti-Castro groups, they never penetrated Omega 7. The GOC had a justifiable
fear of Omega 7 because of the six bombings against the CMUN between 1976
and 1979, the assassination of Garcia and attempted assassinations of Roa-Kouri
and Sanchez Parodi. Reports indicate that even though Omega 7 is no
longer active, GOC officials in the United States continue of take extraordinary
measures to protect themselves from attack. For instance, Cuban officials
are usually armed when outside establishments and rarely travel alone.
Generally, they socialize only among themselves and are highly suspicious
of individuals who are not known to them or their associates.
OMEGA 7 INVOLVEMENT WITH NARCOTICS TRAFFICKERS
In addition
to receiving support from the exile community, Arocena and Omega 7 apparently
obtained some of their operating funds by performing collection functions
for a narcotics trafficker. Beginning in late 1981, after Arocena had
split with Remon and moved to Miami, Florida, he came in contact with Manuel
Fernandez, a major marijuana trafficker. Fernandez provided Arocena
with $50,000 and instructed him to collect money owed to him by Cuban exiles
and South American narcotics users and traffickers. According to Fernandez,
his agreement with Arocena was that Omega 7 would receive approximately 35
percent of the money they collected.
In addition
to using Arocena to collect money owed him, Fernandez instructed Arocena
to kill Luis Fuentes, a drug associate who had shot and robbed him, in May,
1981, of 40,000 pounds of marijuana worth about $8 million. When Arocena
thought he had located Fuentes, he provided Fernandez with surveillance photographs.
After examining the photos, Fernandez told Arocena that although the person
in the photos resembled Fuentes, it was not Fuentes. Arocena continued
to look for Fuentes but Fernandez eventually learned that Fuentes was in
jail, so the murder contract was canceled.
After
Arocena's arrest, a list from Fernandez identifying Cuban exiles who owed
him money was found among Arocena's possessions. The total amount of
money Fernandez had outstanding, according to the list, was $6,000,000.
Also found with the list were surveillance notes and photographs indicating
that Arocena and other members of Omega 7 had collected information on various
individuals on the list. According to testimony by Fernandez and his
associate, Maximiliano Lora, Arocena and Omega7 ultimately received a total
of $150,000 for their services although Arocena never turned over any "collection"
money to Fernandez. Arocena did, however, sell two used but functioning
MAC 10 machine guns with silencers to Fernandez. Although Arocena and
other Omega 7 members were involved with Fernandez, no information has been
developed indicating that Arocena or Omega 7 members used narcotics.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUCCESS OF OMEGA 7
Review
of the available information on Omega 7 suggests that the organization was
able to successfully conduct anti-Castro terrorist attacks over an eight-year
period because: it was a small, tightly knit group of dedicated anti-Castro
fanatics, most of whom were unknown to law enforcement authorities; and,
it received financial support and some cooperation, at a minimum, silent
approval which could be construed as tacit approval, from some elements of
the Cuban exile community in the United States. In addition, the late
1980 split between Arocena and Remon and the creation of an entirely new
group after Arocena moved to Miami, Florida, further hampered investigations.
As has been
discussed, most of the original Omega 7 members were recruited from the active
anti-Castro organizations in the Neward, New Jersey, area. They were
supported both financially and morally by segments of the Cuban exile community
in the United States and considered themselves to be fighting for in freedom
and liberty of the Cuban people. There are also indications that some
Omega 7 members, particularly Arocena, may have believed they had the implicit
support of the U.S. Government in their fight against Castro. Reports
indicate that some exiles who received explosive training from the CIA provided
training to Arocena and other members of the anti-Castro community.
Consequently, Arocena or other members of the anti-Castro community may have
construed prior U.S. Government support for operations against Cuba tacit
approval for future anti Castro operations. Although there is no firm
evidence to support this hypothesis, Arocena's initial defense during this
trial was that he was working as a U.S. Government agent.
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