Cuba calls gun assault on its embassy in Washington a 'terrorist attack', demands action

Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel on May 4 called the gun assault on its embassy in Washington a 'terrorist attack'. In a virtual summit of the non-aligned movement early on Monday, Miguel said that he has demanded from the United States a swift and thorough investigation into the attack and security measures with guarantees for their diplomatic missions. According to reports, the papers submitted in the US court about the incident said that the attack was carried out by a Cuban emigre who heard voices in his head. 

Read: Accused Embassy Gunman Said He Feared Cuban Organized Crime

The attack

The Cuban embassy in Washington was attacked by a gunman on April 30 at around 2:00 am. The gunman reportedly used a semi-automatic assault rifle and fired 32 shots at the front side of the building. As per reports, the gunman was arrested by the DC Metropolitan Police Department who later identified the suspect as 42-year-old Alexander Alazo of Aubrey, Texas. A police report identified the weapon as an AK-47 and said that it was an unregistered firearm with unregistered ammunition. Alexander Alazo has been reportedly charged with assault with an intention to kill. 

Read: DC Police: Suspect Arrested For Shooting At Cuban Embassy

According to reports, Alazo told investigators that he intended to kill the ambassador because 'he was the enemy'. He also told investigators that he heard voices in his head who asked him to protect his family from what he claimed an organised Cuban crime group supported by the Cuban government who were following him and his family and wanted to harm them. Alazo also admitted that he had been prescribed antipsychotic medication in March but he did not comply with them. 

Read: Cuba Blames Hostile US Rhetoric For Embassy Attack

According to court papers, before attacking the embassy, Alazo first tried to unsuccessfully burn a Cuban flag on which 'Stop Lying to People. Respect. Trump 2020. USA, Land and Family' was written. As per reports, Alazo first emigrated to Mexico in 2003 and then to Texas, the US in 2007. He went to Cuba for a brief period of time in 2014 to preach at a church but had to return after reportedly facing threats from Cuban organised crime groups. 

Read: Cuba Embassy In US Damaged In Night Shooting

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez laid the blame for the attack on what he described as "increasingly hostile rhetoric" by the US against the island nation. Rodriguez also called the shooting 'a terrorist attack' during a televised address on Cuban state-run TV, blaming the rising tensions in Washington for the incident. Rodgriguez said that diplomats were inside the building when the attack took place and had summoned the in-charge of the US embassy in Havana over the details of the shooting. 

(Image Credit: AP)