Cuba and the U.S. exchange Alan Gross and three Cuban spies

The Cuban government has released American contractor Alan Gross "for humanitarian reasons." He has been imprisoned in Havana for five years and is already on a flight back to his country, the White House announced today. "This morning, Alan Gross left Cuba on a U.S. government plane," explained a senior official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The United States also released three Cuban spies. Additionally, Cuban President Raúl Castro will appear today on state television and radio to discuss "important issues concerning relations with the United States," following the news of Gross's release. There is speculation that he may announce an end to the embargo. Days earlier, Uruguayan President José Mujica publicly shared the letter he sent to Obama regarding the transfer of Guantánamo detainees, in which he requested the release of the three Cuban agents and one Puerto Rican imprisoned for espionage. Background Alan Gross, 65, was imprisoned in Cuba for five years as a contractor for the U.S. government. He was arrested in December 2009 while working on a program funded by USAID, the United States Agency for International Development. Gross was involved in a project to install internet access in local communities using satellite equipment deemed illegal in Cuba. Cuban authorities claimed that his activities were part of a covert attempt to promote regime change on the island. In 2011, Gross was sentenced to 15 years in prison for committing "acts against the integrity of the state." Gross's family and lawyer had reported that he was expressing suicidal thoughts. On December 3, the day marking the fifth anniversary of his imprisonment, Gross’s wife, Judy, expressed her anger on a website created to demand his release. “Enough is enough. My husband has paid a terrible price for serving his country and his community," she wrote. “Alan is determined not to spend another year imprisoned in Cuba, and I fear we are reaching the end.” “It is time for President Obama to bring Alan home to the United States; or it will be too late,” his wife asserted. Cuba had previously offered to exchange Gross for the three Cuban intelligence agents held in the U.S. on espionage charges (Antonio Guerrero Rodríguez, Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, Ramón Labañino Salazar). Washington has so far refused, arguing that the cases are different.