DJs catch 'Castro' in hoax--Who's laughing now? Castro was not amused

BBC News Last Updated: Wednesday, 18 June, 2003, 03:34 GMT 04:34 UK

Two Miami radio hosts say they have fooled Cuban leader Fidel Castro by pretending to be President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela in a prank call.

The two hosts of the radio programme El Vacilon de la Manana (Morning Joker) spliced together clips from a Chavez speech and played them to trick Mr Castro into thinking he was talking to the Venezuelan leader.

Then they revealed themselves and called Mr Castro a killer, reportedly prompting a tirade of abuse before Mr Castro hung up.

The radio hosts, Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero, played the same joke on Mr Chavez in January, using a recording of Mr Castro.

The two Latin American leaders are allies.

In the latest prank, the DJs pretended to be an aide phoning Mr Castro to ask about a suitcase Mr Chavez allegedly lost when the two men were both in Argentina.

When they got through to a man who listeners say appeared to be the Cuban president, they had a brief conversation then told him he had fallen for their prank.

It has not been possible to confirm that the victim was Mr Castro himself.

The radio hosts regularly include a slot called "Fidel's on the phone for you" in which they try to fool victims with recordings of the Cuban's voice.

Miami is home to a large Cuban expatriate population, much of it fiercely anti-Castro.

The Cuban Government has not commented on the prank.