Security Gap at U.S. Latin Base?

A stolen airplane flown by a Costa Rican landed at a U.S. air base in Panama this week, and the incident has caused Panamanians to make embarrassing comparisons to a West German pilot’s landing a plane near Moscow’s Red Square, according to a local newspaper.

The small Cessna aircraft landed Monday at Howard Air Base near the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, completely undetected by sophisticated U.S. radar and security systems, an account in Friday’s edition of the government-run Critica newspaper said.

In its front-page story, Critica said the plane was piloted by a man seeking political asylum in the United States.

Critica, which has close ties with the Panamanian military, said the incident was alarming because it illustrated serious deficiencies in the U.S. military, which is primarily responsible for defense of the Panama Canal.

Asked about Critica’s account of Monday’s incident, Col. Neil Buttimer, Southern Command spokesman, said: “I don’t know if it’s true or not.”

He said there are usually “a lot of planes in the area” around Howard and added, “We’re not Moscow and you would not expect the same type of elaborate defense system.”

Luis Salazar Rodriguez, identified by Critica as the man who flew the plane in from Costa Rica, has been turned over to Panamanian authorities while the Foreign Ministry studies his request for asylum, according to the U.S. Embassy here.