Manuel De Armas

8/13/2019 Manuel De Armas

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ub n a ~ ~ e n tA former Cuban ~ i l e ~ h o

went on H a v a n ~ a e t i 9 1 t b i s week to

claim othe-\"eiblel in Miami and lheCl p l o t t ~ ~ l ~ assassination ofQ.Jban Premier Fidel Castro - was' 'fever a CIA agent, a CI spokesnliin said Friday.

A man Radio Havana identifiedas· Manuel de Armas spent severalhours W e d n e ~ d a y night attackingdifferent ex•Je groups and figures asbeing CI gents. He said he had

been an undercover CIA agent since1969.

'l"rn CIA spokesman Friday said am ut named De Armas went to the

1961 as a 13-year-old exile and.Jived in Miami, New York, Chicago

and finally for about a year inMiami, until he dropped out ofsight a month ago.

But before he did he not only visited federal agencies in . iami but

also went on WQBA radio to say hewas disillusioned about U.S. foreignpolicy and was considering return-ing to Cuba.

During 1975 be served as a bod_tguard for several prominent Latin 1

Miamians. At the time he workedfor the Preventive Security Agency



C .>

y ANDY ROSENBLATTHerald 51oft Writer

.4

Chi ·ag•· ; 1 ~ p e c t Js Arrested•

t

By EDNA BUCHANANHorald Staff Wrilor

A man who claimed over Ha\'anaradio that he knows the killers or

Cuban exile leader Rolando Masferrer has been arrested in Chicago.

Manuel de Armas, 30, an elusive,self-proclainfed CIA agent, will appear at an extradition hearingMonday morning. His bond, on

· : • r

grand larceny charges, is set at$)0,000.

A federal agency, which Metro

police would not identify, tippedDadl' authorities to e Armas'whereabouts. They notified Chicago police who arrested him.

We want to talk to him aboutthe statements he made over RadioHa\'ana," said L t Thomas Lyons,in charge or th ' OrganiZl'd Crime

i

Bureau's Terrorist and SecurityUnit.

THOUGH A fugitive. de Armasapparently has be en abll' to slip inand out or the country at will. PolicP said e Armas recently traveled to London and returned to thiscountry - after jumping bond on a

al1uror when he went to Cuba andappeared on radio last April.

In the broadcast, monitored here,de Armas claimed that he had been

a CIA agent while living in Miami

as a Cuban t>xile. The CIA later denied the claim.

De Armas said he infiltrated

anti-Castro groups in both Miamiand New York and that the CIA

Utica, N.Y., arrest.Ot> Armas ~ a u s P d an i n t e r n a t i o n l ~ u r n to Page 28 C o i . S r t . ~



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plotted with Miami exiles to assassinate Fidel Castro. . ..

He also hrlplicated the CIA in thekilling of Masferrer, publisher ofMiami's coqtroverslal Spanish lanpg e newspaper "Libertad."

MASFERRER, a former Batistasupporter who had been involvedin anti-Communist activities, waskilled in the driveway of his Southwest section home when a powerful bomb exploded under his car onOct. 31, 1975. The case is unsolved.

In his Cuba speech, de Armas accused the C1A of supplying mem-

~ ~ ~ p :=•he ~ l o ~ ~ d ~ ~ ~ ~ ~the plastic explosives used t killMasferrer.

Metro homicide detectives wereeager to question de Armas, whoslipped back Into this country last

fall, about the killing. After traveling to Europe and Canada, deArmas slipped back into this country last fall.

He was arrested by state policein Utica, N.Y., Sept. 24 on a grandlarceny warrant Issued by the Dadestate attorney's office. De Armas Isaccused of fraudulently cashingtwo checks for more than $500while working for the VenturaCollection Agency In Miami.

IN AN APPARENT mix-up,however, de Armas was releasedon his own recognizance by NewYork authorities - and promptly\Vanished.

New York officials claimed thatFlorida authorities failed to alertthem to his background and thatthey knew only of the checkcharges. ·

"Our Interest In him," a Metrospokesman said Friday, "stemsfrom his visit to Cuba and state·ments he made to Cuban officialsstating he was involved in terrorist

activities in the United States. Healso gave them Information con·cerning anti-Castro . activities andorganizations in the United States."



or rnnd Lurcen

A man who went on Radio Havana in April to claim that MiamiCuban exiles and the CIA plottedassassination of Cuban Premier

Fidel Castro has been arrested inUtica. N. Y • on grand larcenycharges. Metro police said Monday.

Manual De Armas, 29, formeremploye of Ventura CollectionAgency, 1835 W. Flager St.. wasarrested by New York State Policeon Dade County warrants chargingthat he fraudulently cashed twochecks totaling 600 while work-ing for the check collecting agency

last June lDe Armas. now a resident ofClinton. N. Y was ordered to ap

pear at an extradition hearing Oct.

25.Metro police said that agents in-vestigating illicit Cuban exile activities here are interested in questioning De Armas on his return

about the statements he made on

Havana Radio.The broadcast monitored here

was reported in Miami papers.

wh ich quoted De Armas as claiming that he as a Cuban exile resi-



P lice here puzzled by release

of uban defe tor in New YorkBy HILDA INCLAN AND LOUIS SALOME

Mlamt News R•porters

The strange saga of Manuel de Armas, who defected t Cuba in April and claimed he had been involvedin terrorist activities here, took a puzzling new turnwith his recent arrest and release in New York.

Metro police saidthe

29-year-oldde Annas was

arrested Friday in Utica, N.Y., by New York State Po-lice on a warrant obtained by Metro and Miami police.

United States via New York City, Metro police said.·Until his arrest, de Armas .. loated around New

York state, police said, but his precise movements andactivities were not disclosed.

April, de Armas· defected from. i ~ i to Cubawhere he appeared on radio and television to de

nounce U.S. intelligence agents and exiles he claimedwere involved in l l e g a l ~ - n t i ~ C a s t r o activities.

In Cuba, de Armas portrayed himself as a CIAagent who had infiltrated anti-Castro groups in NewYork and Miami. The CIA later denied de Armas everworked for the agency.

The warrant charged de Armas with two counts ofgrand larceny. He is charged with fraudulently cash·ing two checks worth almost $600 which he had collected while working for the Ventura Collection Agency in Miami.

Although de Armas told Cuban government offi- In a television broadcast from Havana, monitoredcials that he was involved in terrorist activities in the in Miami, de Armas said he had participated in theMiami area, he was released in New York Friday on plot and supplied the explosives for the assassinationhis own recognizance pending an extradition hearing of exile leader Rolando (El Tigre) Masferrer. The pub

Oct. 25. Tisher of the controversial Libertad weekly tabloidI don't understand how a man who left the U.S. here was killed when a bomb exploded in his .car Oct.

'fuesday, September 2@



; 1 \ I a s f e r ~ o - r ~ o m l i i n g , .suspect Disappears{

~ ~A man wanted here for question

ing in the bombing death of ex-

Cuban senator Rolando Masferrerhas disappeared.Manuel De Armas, traveled to

Cuba in April, declared on Cubanradio that he was ll1J agel).t for theCIA, and said he knew the detailsof the Masferrer assassination plot.

Masferrer, a former Batista sup-porter who had been involved inanti-communist politics since hisarrlval in Miami, was murdered in

a car bombing in Oct., 1975.

In his Cuba speech, De Armasaccused the CIA of supplying members of Abdala, an anti-Castrogroup of which he was a memberwith the plastic explosives used inthe explosion that killed Masferrer.

A CIA spokesman has deniedknowing De Armas, but a Metropolice spokesman said the department wants to talk to De Armasabout the murder. De Armas re-turned to the United in early

September through Buffalo, N.Y.,after traveling to England and can-



c ~ '

Exile sou:ght n

gives·himself upBy HELGA SILVA

Miami Ntwi Reporter

After an FBI interview, Manuel de Armas,wanted in Miami for questioning in a bombingcase and for grand larceny, surrendered to Chicago police yesterday and then almost walked

out of jail - for a second time.Police gave this version: De Armas Jeff the

U.S. in April and went to Cuba. There heclaimed over Havana television he had supplied

• the explosives used to assassinate Cuban exileleader Rol ando Masferer.

He then slipped back into the U.S., ·was ar -

rested in Utica, N.Y., in September and releasedon a per sonal recognizance bond on Miamigrand larceny counts Involving the cashing oftwo checks for an estimated $600.

After being released de Armas promptly disappeared until yesterday when he surrenderedto Chicago police. A $10,000 bond was set there

after a police mixupsuspect released on a

De Armas' bondthere was noThere was only an

for grand larceny,spokesman for thearraigned yesterday.' After a 'tong di

about the suspectF I agents regardingto $10,000

De Armas surrengo police after anagents, acbording tq.Carl Shupe.

''The FBI did nothimself to police,two agents who

with de Armas.him, our only interest

in ·caseChicago

could have seen the

bond.

set at $250 becauseinformation on him.

warrant hereWluston Atkins, a

where de Armas was

telephone inquiryw calls to Chicago

bail was raised

he surrenderedisor of theversations

to arrestinformation he

was providing us, like any other American clti·zen.

According to Shupe it was during conversa·tions with agents that at his (de Armas) re -

quest the FBI inquired about a warrant for hisarrest from Miami. The tw o agents brought him

to the Chicago police station where he surrendered.

Metro police said today they are processingde Armas' extradition from Chicago. Our main

interest, said a Metro police spokesman, aris-es from his visit to Cuba and the allegation s hemade there about his involvement in terroristactivities in Miami.

De Armas publicly had stated in Cuba he

was a CIA agent who had infiltrated anti-Castrogroups in New York, Miami and Chicago. The

CIA denied any connection with de Armas. TheCuban exile had voluntarily talked with agents

in the FBI office in Miami abo ut 45 days beforehe left for Cuba.

I



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1

HolBy EDNA BUCHANAN

Horald Staff Wrlltr

n who claimed over Havana

on that he supp lied the ex

used in the bomb death of

exi le leader Rolando Mas-as been arrested in Chica-

_ d e ~ 30, an elusive,laTirieoCTA ag<'nt, will ap

l an e ~ t r a d t i o n heann gmorning. Hi s bond, on

~ t r c e n y charges, is set at

era agency, wh ich Metro

ould not identi fy tipped

thorities as to de Armas'

- ·F

whE'reabouts . They notifiedgo police who arrestE'd him.

•·wr wa nt to talk to him athe sta tements he made overHavana, said Lt. Thomas

in charge of the Organi zedBureau's Terrorist and

Unit.

THOUGH a fugitive, de Aa pparently has been able to s land out of the country at will.lice said de Armas recently

ed to London and returned tocountry - a fter jumping bond inUtica. N.Y. arrest. 1 .

as errerMwd( •/ / ( 1 . u. for i iH t Huti . tu SlljJJHJrler 1rlt

IH ( n illt (Jirell in m1ti-Co1111111111i t al lit•itii i i N I ; tli r. tlrin•rnn· of hi s S u t u:e t

lr 0111 e rrIt e11 f H •rf ·/ IHuuiJ ex piml •dC (ll 011 Od . :J/, 197'.). 1 /r ( cu .w• ; . . ruuwl red.

~ n f l \ s ~ \ ~ s e d an in ter nation· had bt>en a CIA agent whal fdf'Mwhen he went to Cuba and in Miami as a Cuban exile.

appeared on radio and televisionlast April.

the broadcasts, monitored

De Armas cla imed that he

SECTIO . V

mbe ~ i a m i M.e

Saturdny, Jan. 15,

ing Suspplotted wit h Miami exiles to assas

sinate Fidel Castro.

a l s o i l l P t i the CIA in theJlllli:der f) f ' M a s t e c r ~ publisher or

Miami's controversial Spanish lan

guage newspaper libcrtad.

MASFERRER, a former Batistasupporter who had been involved

in anti-Communist activities, was

killed in the driveway of his Southwest section home when a pow er

ful bomb exp loded under his car on

Oct. 31, 1975.

1'he case is unsolved.In his Cuba speech, de Aqnas ac -

., • 1~ ~ ~ c .

cused the CIA of

bers of Abdala,group to which he

the plastic explosivesMasferrer.

Metro homicide de

eager to question deslipped back into thi s

fall. about the r d e rto Europe and

C a r y :slipped back into '

Fall. . /

He was arrel.Led uin Utica, N.Y. Sept.

urn to Page 2

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Manuel De Armas