The attack on the Cuban embassy in Washington is “unacceptable”, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday, after the throwing of two Molotov cocktails on Sunday evening which did not cause any casualties.
“Hate launched a new terrorist attack against our embassy in Washington last night, in an act of violence and helplessness that could have cost precious lives,” reacted Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on X (ex- Twitter), calling for “measures from the American authorities”.
Questioned Monday during his press briefing, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller described the attack as “unacceptable” and indicated that the American and Cuban authorities were “in contact”.
Earlier, Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera said the embassy had “immediately communicated with American authorities, who had access to the mission to take samples of Molotov cocktails.”
On Sunday evening, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez announced in a message on X that the Cuban embassy in the United States had “been the target of a terrorist attack perpetrated by an individual who threw two Molotov cocktails “. ” The staff [de l’ambassade] did not suffer any damage,” he added.
This is the second attack on the Cuban mission in Washington in recent years. A man opened fire on the building in April 2020, without causing any injuries.
” Two weights, two measures “
The attack on Sunday evening in Washington took place a few hours after the return to Havana of President Diaz-Canel who had stayed in New York, where he notably attended the United Nations General Assembly.
In New York, Cubans living in the United States demonstrated against the presence of the Cuban president at the UN, according to posts and videos shared on social networks.
“Anti-Cuba groups resort to terrorism when they believe they can benefit from impunity, something Cuba has repeatedly warned US authorities against,” Rodriguez added after Sunday’s attack.
In April 2020, the Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs summoned the American charge d’affaires in Havana, Mara Tekach, to express his “strong protest” after the “terrorist attack” against his embassy.
In this case, American authorities arrested Alexander Alazo, a Cuban living in Texas. He was charged with attack “with intent to kill”.
However, “three years later, the author of the attack is still awaiting trial and the American government has refused to classify the facts as a terrorist act,” the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced Monday in a press release. He spoke out against the “double standards of the US government’s alleged commitment to terrorism.”
The relationship between Washington and the communist island, subject to the American embargo since 1962, remains tense.
When he arrived at the White House in 2021, President Joe Biden promised to review American policy towards Cuba. But his speech hardened following the repression of anti-government protests on the island in July 2021.
Before leaving office in early 2021, Donald Trump re-listed Cuba as a country supporting terrorism.