Witness: Cuban militant worried about interview

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A government witness at the trial of an ex-CIA operative says the man was more worried that an interview with the New York Times would damage his standing with U.S. authorities than about slipping into the country illegally aboard a yacht.

Luis Posada Carriles faces 11 counts of perjury, obstruction and immigration fraud for lying during immigration hearings about how he reached the U.S. in 2005.

Prosecutors also say Posada lied about his role in a series of 1997 Havana hotel bombings which killed an Italian tourist — even though he admitted it in an interview with the Times.

Government informant Gilberto Abascal testified Tuesday that the Times interview weighed on Posada's mind, even aboard the yacht sneaking him into the U.S.