A Cuban militant awaiting deportation from the United States has appealed for his release, saying the U.S. government has not found a country willing to take him.
Luis Posada Carriles' lawyer asked a federal court Thursday to release his client from detention in El Paso, Texas and allow the Cuban to live with relatives in Florida.
The request says the government cannot prove Posada Carriles is a threat to national security and is violating his constitutional rights. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is reviewing the request.
The 78-year-old Posada Carriles was charged in Venezuela in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner that killed 73 people, but acquitted and escaped while awaiting a retrial.
The lawyer says Posada Carriles could be tortured or killed if deported to Venezuela or Cuba. Authorities in both countries have accused the U.S. of protecting a terrorist.
He is being held on immigration violations.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.