Santo Domingo.- For years, the
Dominican Republic has faced episodes that force us to confront, from justice and security, how to define and sanction actions that put society and strategic services such as public transport or civil aviation at risk.
One of the most important milestones in this context occurred in
March 2016, when the
Fourth Collegiate Court of the National District sentenced
Frank Kelin Holguín Medina to
35 years in prison for an attack on the
Line 2 of the Santo Domingo Metro, after setting fire to a backpack with flammable material that caused injuries to passengers and collective panic. This sentence was issued under
Law 267-08 on terrorism, becoming the
first conviction in the country under that regulation.
You may be interested in: http://Dictan prisión preventiva a ciudadano peruano por falsa alarma de bomba en el AILA
The judges considered that the act constituted a
terrorist crime and attempted murder, and although the Public Prosecutor's Office had requested 40 years in prison, the sentence was finally set at
35 years in prison.
In addition, the sentence included
financial compensation to the Office for Transport Reorganization (OPRET) and to the victims for the damages caused, consolidating itself as
the first conviction in the Dominican Republic under the anti-terrorism law.
False alarm at AILA
Now, the Dominican judicial system faces another case that could establish a new precedent, the accusation of
terrorism against a foreign citizen for a false bomb threat in the main airport of the country while it was fully operational.
On
January 6, 2026, a call alerting about the supposed placement of an explosive device on board flight
CM-299 of Copa Airlines, which was traveling to Panama when it was already in flight, immediately activated the
air security protocols at the
Las Américas International Airport (AILA).
The alert forced the flight to return, evacuation of passengers and crew, thorough inspections and the
temporary suspension of air operations, with several flights diverted or delayed as a precautionary measure.
Authorities confirmed that
there were no explosives, but the event highlighted the inherent vulnerability of strategic infrastructures to threats, real or not, that paralyze air traffic and generate public alarm.
Accused and Qualification of the Facts
The Public Ministry filed formal terrorism charges against
Ángel del Pino Cuya, also identified as
Ricardo Casas, of Peruvian nationality, after being identified as responsible for the false threat.
According to the accusation, the defendant made the call to the terminal's attention center, identifying himself in a changing manner and with contradictory versions about the origin of the information.
The prosecuting body requested preventive detention and the declaration of complexity of the process, arguing the "
seriousness of the facts", the "
impact generated on State security", the risk of flight and the possibility that the case delays national and international operations.
The accusation includes violations of both
Law 188-11 on Airport and Civil Aviation Security and
Law 267-08 on Terrorism. These regulations punish unlawful interference with air transport systems and threats against the safety of aircraft and airports.
The Dominican anti-terrorism law establishes sanctions that can range from
decades in prison, considering that this type of attack affects essential services and strategic services of the State.
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