Posted on 12/17/2014 6:55:54 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Held for five years in Cuba, 65-year-old American contractor Alan Gross has been released from prison and is en route to U.S. soil, ABC News has learned exclusively.
In a landmark humanitarian prisoner exchange to be announced by President Obama shortly at the White House, the agreement was reached following more than a year of secret back channel talks at the highest levels of both governments.
Today’s release of Gross, who is said to be in poor physical condition, represents a first step toward normalizing relations with the neighbor just 90-miles off the Florida coast.
Gross was convicted of espionage by a Cuban court in 2011 and sentenced to 15 years for bringing telecommunication devices into Cuba while working as a subcontractor for United States Agency for International Development.
The Cuban government accused him of being party to a U.S.-led plot to overthrow the government through an “Arab spring.”
Following a recent visit, Gross’ attorney described him as nearly toothless, barely able to walk because of arthritis in his hips and blind in one eye. He has been kept in a small room at a military hospital 24 hours a day with two other Cuban political prisoners.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Gross is a dumbass; he was trying to install internet hardware to benefit Castro’s opponents, and they caught him.
We traded 3 spies including a convicted murderer for him!
Three spies for one dumbass!
Indeed.
And this character that was released is an Obama-loving marxist of the first degree. If you listened real close to his speech today he called both Cuba AND the United States OPPRESSIVE governments!! To hell with this character, just another lib as far as I’m concerned. He can stick Obama where the sun don’t shine.
You didn’t have to listen real close.....all you had to do was look at him and his wife, they reek liberal.
Check out the picture on the wall.
I would love to say I am stunned but frankly, it is just not a surprise and actually expected.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.