Incident Summary:

4/23/1970: In a series of four related incidents, the Armed Commandos of Liberation claimed credit for placing bombs that were discovered in a U.S. Naval Relay Power Station in Puerto Rico. Cumulatively, fifty-one out of fifty-three bombs failed to explode with the remaining two bombs causing minor damage.

GTD ID:
197004230001

When:
1970-04-23

Country:
United States

Region:
North America

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Puerto Rico

City:
Aguada

Location Details:
Atop a mountain

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Bombing/Explosion
Successful Attack? (more) No
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Military
Name of Entity U.S. Navy
Specific Description U.S. Navy Relay Power Station
Nationality of Target United States
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Minor (likely < $1 million)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Explosives Time Fuse
Weapon Details
51 bombs were found minutes before they were set to explode.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?Yes
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Additional Information Part of a multiple attack with 197004230002, 197004230003, and 197004230004. The overall goal of the bombings were to cripple Puerto Rican telecommunication facilities. No information could be found describing a specific breakdown of how many bombs were placed at each target. The Armed Commandos of Liberation claimed that the attacks caused more damage than what the media reported. Specifically, the ACL claimed that the police microwave communications were destroyed. This incident took place at the same time that the La Liga Socialista Puertorriquena led a strike against General Electric in Puerto Rico.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Armed Commandos of Liberation Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Letter)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators Unknown
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 0 Fatalities / 0 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 0
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 0
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"51 Bombs Dismantled in Puerto Rico" Washington Post, April 24, 1970.
"San Juan Bombs Hit Police Radios" Washington Post, April 29, 1970.
"Toward People's War for Independence and Socialism in Puerto Rico: In Defense of Armed Struggle," Documents and Communiqués from the Revolutionary Public Independence Movement and the Armed Clandestine Movement, January 1987.