Armed employee raids Miami newspaper

Nov 25, 2006, 1:50 GMT

Washington - An armed employee raided the offices of a Spanish-language daily in Miami Friday, apparently searching for the newspaper's editor and seeking to take over the paper's running.

The gunman, identified by employees as Jose Varela, a freelance cartoonist for El Nuevo Herald, had barricaded himself in the editor's office on the sixth floor of the Herald building in downtown Miami, but eventually gave himself up peacefully, police said.

El Nuevo's executive editor, Humberto Castello, was not on the floor when Varela came looking for him. Security at the building's entrance told police that Varela had been armed with a machine gun, but authorities said there were no injuries and no hostages had been taken.

Police said Varela, a well-known cartoonist within Miami's Cuban- American community, demanded to speak with Castello and wanted to complain about his work being censored.

But journalist Alina Fernandez, one of Cuban leader Fidel Castro's daughters, told CNN that Varela left her a voice message saying he planned to replace Castello and become the new 'owner' of the newspaper, but that he made no mention of raiding the building. Fernandez said she thought he was joking, and also said that he had recently separated from his wife.

Tom Siedler, executive editor of the Miami Herald, whose parent company publishes El Nuevo Herald and has its offices one floor below, told CNN that the gunman proclaimed himself the 'new editor,' saying the Spanish paper had not been properly run and 'wasn't telling the truth.'

'This is about taking over and running the newspaper,' Siedler said.