Alan Gross, an American contractor who has been jailed in Cuba since 2009, has finally been released and is on his way to the U.S.
The humanitarian release of the 65-year-old is expected to be announced by President Obama at the White House. According to sources for ABC News, the talks that lead to his release involved officials that the highest levels in both countries.
CNN reports that Gross’ release will also come with a separate prisoner exchange, in which Cuba will free a U.S. intelligence source who had already been in prison for over 20 years and the U.S. will release three Cuban agents who were convicted of spying in 2011.
Obama also plans on announcing more changes to the U.S.’ relationship with the communist country, which is just 90 miles south of Florida. These will be the biggest changes in the U.S.’ policy towards Cuba since 1961, when the trade embargo was first put into place.
Gross traveled to Cuba with a U.S. Agency for International Development program, which aimed to get phones to Cuba’s small Jewish population. However, he was convicted of trying to start a revolution and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. In April 2014, Gross’ lawyers said that he was going on a hunger strike and ABC News reports that he is in poor health.
During an interview with the Fusion network last week, Obama did admit publicly that the government was in contact with Cuba, trying to get Gross released.
image of President Obama courtesy of INFphoto.com