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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Fidel Castro dismisses spy 'tale' | Fidel Castro dismisses spy 'tale' |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro says US allegations that a Washington couple spied for Cuba are a "ridiculous tale". | Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro says US allegations that a Washington couple spied for Cuba are a "ridiculous tale". |
| In an editorial, he questioned the timing of their arrest - days after the Organisation of American States lifted Cuba's 1962 expulsion from the group. | In an editorial, he questioned the timing of their arrest - days after the Organisation of American States lifted Cuba's 1962 expulsion from the group. |
| The couple, retired state department official Walter Kendall Myers and his wife, are accused of having passed on information to Cuba for three decades. | The couple, retired state department official Walter Kendall Myers and his wife, are accused of having passed on information to Cuba for three decades. |
| The pair, both in their 70s, face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. | The pair, both in their 70s, face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. |
| In his article, Mr Castro described the case as an "espionage comic strip". | In his article, Mr Castro described the case as an "espionage comic strip". |
| Cuba spy scandal shame for US | Cuba spy scandal shame for US |
| He admitted that he had met the Myers in Mexico in 1995 - as the US alleges - but went on to say that he had met thousands of US citizens in his life for all sorts of reasons. | |
| Sting operation | Sting operation |
| However on the question of whether the charges were true, the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says Mr Castro was somewhat ambiguous. | However on the question of whether the charges were true, the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says Mr Castro was somewhat ambiguous. |
| Those who have helped to protect Cuba "from the terrorist plans and assassination plots organised by various US administrations", the former president wrote, deserve "all the honours in the world". | Those who have helped to protect Cuba "from the terrorist plans and assassination plots organised by various US administrations", the former president wrote, deserve "all the honours in the world". |
| Mr Myers worked at the State Department from 1977 until 2007 | Mr Myers worked at the State Department from 1977 until 2007 |
| Washington DC residents Walter Myers, 72, and Gwendolyn Myers, 71, are accused of acting as illegal agents for Cuba and wire fraud. | Washington DC residents Walter Myers, 72, and Gwendolyn Myers, 71, are accused of acting as illegal agents for Cuba and wire fraud. |
| Their arrest, announced on Friday, followed a sting operation by the FBI. | Their arrest, announced on Friday, followed a sting operation by the FBI. |
| The US justice department says Mr Myers was first approached by the Cuban government in 1978, and that he and his wife agreed to provide information to Cuban intelligence. | The US justice department says Mr Myers was first approached by the Cuban government in 1978, and that he and his wife agreed to provide information to Cuban intelligence. |
| Mrs Myers' preferred method of passing on secrets was to exchange shopping trolleys in a grocery store, it said. | Mrs Myers' preferred method of passing on secrets was to exchange shopping trolleys in a grocery store, it said. |
| Fidel Castro, 82, has not been seen in public since July 2006 and ceded power to his brother in February 2008. | Fidel Castro, 82, has not been seen in public since July 2006 and ceded power to his brother in February 2008. |
| However comments by him appear frequently in Cuba's state-run press. | However comments by him appear frequently in Cuba's state-run press. |