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FROM
CUBA
Cuban
man arrested; his Italian friend warned to keep
his distance
HAVANA, September 26 (www.cubanet.org) - When
Abel Rojas was arrested outside Havana's international
airport, police warned his friend, Italian tourist
Antonio Verdome, to stay some distance away from
Rojas.
Police then took Rojas in a car to be booked
for "stalking a tourist," leaving behind
a confused Verdome, who later said he never thought
things would be that way in Cuba. He said that
in Italy Cuba had been described a different way.
Rojas said Verdome had asked him to go with him
to the airport to retrieve some luggage that had
been lost and subsequently found. After finishing
their errand, Rojas said, they sat down to have
a couple of beers. It was while leaving the airport
that Rojas was arrested.
"We left the terminal peacefully,"
said Rojas. "A policeman stopped us to ask
for identification. He returned Verdome's Italian
passport and told him to keep away from me. Verdome
protested when they took me to the patrol car.
I told them that we are friends and why we were
at the airport. But they charged me and warned
me to keep away from foreigners or I would end
up in prison."
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