Freed From Prison, Activist Offers To Die For Puerto Rico

Returning home after a decade in prison, one of Puerto Rico’s best-known activists declared Sunday that he was willing to die for his island’s independence.

Antonio Camacho Negron, imprisoned for a $7 million armored truck robbery in Hartford, Conn., in 1983, was greeted by a crowd of supporters as he arrived at San Juan’s airport.

“I am ready to make the sacrifice, to serve as an offering if it is necessary, for the liberty and dignity of this people,” Camacho said in a speech at the airport.

Authorities said the Wells Fargo robbery truck robbery was organized by the Macheteros, a group that advocates armed struggle against the United States, to fund its activities.

Camacho and 14 other imprisoned activists had become a rallying point for both moderate and radical pro-independence groups.

Puerto Rico has been a U.S. possession since 1898, when it was invaded by U.S. troops during the Spanish-American War.