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WILLIAM MORALES EXPLOSION & ESCAPE
William Morales Explosion & Escape

In 1978 William Morales, a leading FALN bomb-maker, was gravely injured when explosives detonated prematurely at a bomb factory in Queens, New York; he lost most of both hands and part of his face. Arrested and convicted, he became one of the most closely watched FALN prisoners.

In 1979 Morales made a dramatic escape from the prison ward of Bellevue Hospital and went underground. He eventually reached Mexico and later Cuba, which gave him refuge — placing him among the Puerto Rican independence figures living in exile beyond the reach of U.S. prosecution.