File photo. The National Congress in Santo Domingo, home of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, 2021. Photo: Peteremueller, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC · SECURITY

The Dominican Republic’s terrorism law, Law 267-08, punishes an attempted terrorist act as if it had been carried out, and its prison terms run from two years to 40 years. That matters now because the Public Ministry, the Dominican prosecution service, accuses a 29-year-old man, Delvinson De la Cruz Sosa, of terrorism over alleged threats against, and planning of an attack on, President Luis Abinader.

Which article of the law prosecutors will use has not been made public, and the range of possible sentences is wide. A judge was due to hear the request for pretrial detention, meaning custody before trial, on Tuesday 10 November 2026 at 16:00 Dominican time (20:00 GMT).

What the Terror Law Defines

Article 5 of the law defines terrorism as acts that use means able to kill or injure an unspecified number of people, or to seriously damage strategic infrastructure or property. The aim must be to frighten the population, force the government’s hand, take revenge for political, ethnic or religious reasons, or harm the state’s relations and image abroad.

File photo. The National Palace in Santo Domingo, seat of the Dominican presidency. Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Penalties That Could Apply

Article 7 sets 30 to 40 years in prison for anyone who sets off or places explosives or other dangerous substances in public or private premises. Article 19 sets 20 to 30 years for belonging to a band of three or more people formed to commit such crimes, simply by being a member.

Article 20 says a terrorist plot exists from the moment two or more people agree to act. Article 24 sets 3 to 10 years for threatening to commit any of the offences in the law.

Article 30 is the key rule for this case, because it says an attempt is punished like the crime itself. It also treats as authors those who devised or planned the act, gave instructions, or supplied the means.

What Is Alleged So Far

Prosecutors say De la Cruz Sosa was arrested on Tuesday 3 November 2026 in San Francisco de Macorís, and that the court file names Friday 6 November, Constitution Day (the national holiday marking the 1844 constitution), as the planned date. Our reports cover the arrest and the raids and the audio recording that had begun circulating by 6 November.

Investigators seized electronic devices and chemical substances, which are still being examined. The Public Ministry says the investigation is continuing.

What It Means for You

For visitors and residents, this is so far a legal case about an alleged plan, and no attack has been reported. For related security news, see our Dominican Republic news hub and Latin America coverage.

What Is Not Known

Prosecutors have not published the exact article they will rely on, and the chemicals have not been identified. One Dominican legal analysis says a plain, credible death threat under the new Penal Code (Law 74-25, the country’s criminal code, Article 154) carries only one to two years, which we could not confirm from the code itself.

It is also not known who else is under investigation, or whether the recording is genuine. The suspect is presumed innocent until a court rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Dominican terrorism law say about an attempt?

Article 30 of Law 267-08 punishes an attempted terrorist crime as the crime itself. It also counts planners and those who give instructions as authors.

How many years in prison can terrorism bring?

Law 267-08 sets terms from 2 to 40 years. Bomb attacks on public or private premises carry 30 to 40 years and membership of a terrorist band 20 to 30.

Is Delvinson De la Cruz Sosa convicted?

No. He is a suspect and is presumed innocent, and the court was due to hear the request for pretrial detention on 10 November 2026.

Sources: Dominican Republic, Law No. 267-08 on Terrorism (National Congress, 2008), Articles 5, 7, 19, 20, 24 and 30; Dominican Public Ministry announcements on the arrest and raids, 3 to 6 November 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error