Cuba's powerful security chief assaulted on street, watch and pistol taken away

Responsible for protecting Cuban figures such as Raul Castro and President Diaz-Canel.

The severity of assaults on high-ranking military officials in Cuba, a controlled society, is extremely unusual.

(Mexico City = Yonhap News) Correspondent Song Gwang-ho = It was later revealed that the director of the Secret Service, which oversees the security of Cuba's highest-ranking officials, including former Cuban National Council Chairman Raul Castro and President Miguel Diaz-Canel, was beaten in the center of the capital city of Havana, and his expensive watch and pistol were taken away.

In Cuban society, where citizen surveillance programs similar to North Korea's 'Five Tigers in Charge System' are rampant and an atmosphere of fear of the military and police authorities prevails, it is extremely unusual for a high-ranking military official, especially the person in charge of the security of high-ranking officials, to be assaulted and robbed on the street.

According to Spanish-language media outlet Infobae and independent media outlet Periodic Cubano on the 27th (local time), Emir Mesa, director of the Secret Service (Brigadier General rank), was attacked by assailants in central Havana early this month.

The gunmen indiscriminately assaulted Director Mesa with their fists and feet, then took away his Rolex watch and pistol and fled. Director Mesa did not suffer any injuries from the weapon, but was reported to have been severely assaulted.

In particular, this incident is even more shocking as it occurred immediately after the '65th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Personal Security Service', which was organized to put to rest rumors that former Chairman Raul Castro's health was abnormal. The memorial ceremony was held on the 5th of this month.

In his commemorative speech at the time, Director Mesa mentioned the incident in which former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was transported to the United States and ordered thorough preparations for the risk of kidnapping or assassination targeting senior leadership.

This attack, which was almost buried due to the nature of Cuban society, which is a tightly controlled country, began to become known as independent media reported it after it spread through the American social media platform Facebook.

Investigative authorities have so far conducted a large-scale search operation and arrested at least three suspects, but are keeping their specific identities and investigation progress confidential.

Director Mesa, who has held key positions in key security organizations such as the Military Command and the Ministry of the Interior since 1998, has maintained his position as the chief security officer for Cuba's top leadership despite recent speculations about his power.

It is pointed out that this incident, which occurred amidst energy shortages, extreme hardships in life, and increasing security instability due to the United States' long-term economic blockade, clearly shows the dark side of Cuban society, where even the ironclad public power is shaken.