In 1997 , Posada was implicated in a series of terrorist bombings in Cuba intended to deter the growing tourism trade on the island . An Italian-born Canadian national , Fabio di Celmo , was killed and 11 others were wounded as a result . In reaction to di Celmo 's death , Posada told reporter Ann Louise Bardach of '' The New York Times '' in a 1998 taped interview that " the Italian was in the wrong place at the wrong time , but I sleep like a baby . " In a taped interview , Posada said : " It is sad that someone is dead , but we ca n't stop . " He added that Raúl Ernesto Cruz León , the man arrested and charged with the bombings , was a mercenary in his employ . Cruz León was sentenced to death by the Cuban authorities after admitting to the attacks ; the sentence was later commuted to 30 years imprisonment . Posada repudiated his statements after being arrested in Panama in 2000 . Posada was reportedly disappointed with the reluctance of news organisations in the US to report the bombing attacks , saying " If there is no publicity , the job is useless "
series of terrorist bombings in Cuba
1997 Cuba hotel bombings
Luis Posada Carriles