2 Cyclists Shoot U.S. Army Major in Puerto Rico

Two men on a motorcycle shot and wounded a U.S. Army major today as he rode his motor scooter to work. Two independence groups claimed responsibility for the attack, in which a civilian was also wounded.

Unidentified male callers claimed responsibility for the shooting of “the Yankee recruiting officer” in the name of the Macheteros--an organization campaigning for Puerto Rican independence--and the Organization of Volunteers for the Puerto Rican Revolution.

Maj. Michael Snyder, 37, of Columbus, Ohio, has wounds in the chest and pelvis, a military spokeswoman said.

He was shot near the site of an ambush that killed two Navy workers and wounded 10 in December, 1979. Both groups claimed responsibility for that attack.