After deliberating for three hours, a jury of seven women and five men acquitted Luis Posada Carriles on Friday on all 11 charges of lying to immigration officials about how he entered the U.S. in 2005 and his alleged role in bombings in Cuba in 1997.
After U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone read the unanimous not guilty verdict, Posada and his three lawyers merged into a tight embrace that lasted several seconds. The federal prosecutors sat expressionless.
Posada, at a news conference, thanked the jury, his lawyers and the American justice system. He also said the acquittal should send a message to Cuba that liberty must prevail on the island.
“I feel happy,’’ said Posada, beaming. “I am supremely grateful to the United States of America, to the fairness with which I’ve been judged, to the jury that absolved me and what happened here should serve as an example for justice in my country, Cuba, which is unfortunately in the hands of a dictator.’’
The verdict was a surprise to many observers who had expected jurors to deliberate for several days and find Posada guilty on at least some counts. No one had predicted an acquittal across the board on all perjury, fraud and obstruction charges.
But precisely what swayed the jurors to the defense’s side will not be known anytime soon. Jurors declined to talk to the media and left by a side door as a group. Posada’s attorneys speculated that the jurors felt the government framed Posada and exaggerated the evidence.