Bombs Go Off at 2 U.S. Military Facilities in Puerto Rico; 1 Hurt : 5 Others Defused; Contra Training Protest Claimed

Bombs went off today at two U.S. armed forces facilities, wounding one person, police said. Bombs were found and defused at five other U.S. facilities.

The Macheteros, a group seeking Puerto Rican independence, claimed responsibility for the blasts. The group has used violence in the past to draw attention to its political demands.

A telephone caller who said he spoke on behalf of the group told the Associated Press that the attacks were to protest reported plans to train Nicaraguan rebels in Puerto Rico.

Sources in the Reagan Administration said Monday that the Pentagon is developing plans to train the rebels, known as contras, in the United States and that Puerto Rico is one of three sites being considered.

The bombers also left a letter in a park condemning the United States for actions against the nationalist movement and for planning to cut trees in El Yunque, the island’s tropical forest.

‘Extensive’ Damage

Damage was described as “extensive” after a bomb blast at a recruiting station in Fajardo, a town near the Navy’s Roosevelt Roads training station on the island’s east coast, police said. A man who said he was driving by the station was treated for ear damage, officers said.

Another bomb destroyed an Army Reserve truck near the Army’s Ft. Buchanan, adjacent to San Juan, officers said.

Homemade bombs were found and safely defused at five other U.S. armed forces facilities, police said.

The facilities were a U.S. Marine recruiting office in Santurce, a National Guard office in Mayaguez, a U.S. armed forces recruiting office and an Army Reserve office in Agua Dilla and a U.S. armed forces recruiting office in Cayey.

Police initially said they also found a bomb at a post office in Guayama, about 50 miles south of San Juan, but the package turned out to be harmless.

Police Supt. Carlos Lopez Feliciano ordered an inspection of federal offices in Puerto Rico. The FBI is participating in the inspections, police said.

Large Navy Base

Many federal offices and military installations are based in Puerto Rico, including Roosevelt Roads, a large U.S. Navy base.

The Macheteros are fighting for independence for Puerto Rico. In 1981, they claimed responsibility for the destruction of several National Guard planes at Muniz air base in San Juan.

In 1983, seven people alleged by the FBI to be Macheteros were arrested in New York on charges that they robbed a Wells Fargo truck in Hartford, Conn., and stole $7 million. The defendants are awaiting trial.