By LUISA YANEZ

Gaspar Jimenez, an anti-Castro militant convicted in Mexico in an attempt to kidnap a Cuban consul in 1976, is expected to arrive in Miami soon - a free man.

A hero of the anti-Castro movement in exile, Jimenez was released over the weekend from a Mexican prison, sending waves of joy through the Cuban community.

The 47-year-old Jimenez, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was scheduled to arrive at Miami International Airport on a flight from Mexico today, according to Andres Nazario Sargen, leader of the anti-Castro group Alpha 66. Nazario Sargen said "intimate friends" of Jimenez told him Jimenez was expected today.

But a friend of Jimenez, WOCN radio announcer Carlos D'Amant, said Jimenez isn't expected until next week.

Jimenez, Gustavo Castillo and Orestes Ruiz were charged in the 1976 attempted kidnapping of Cuban consul Daniel Ferrer in Merida, Mexico. The diplomat managed to escape, but his bodyguard, Artanan Diaz, was killed.

In 1978, Jimenez and Castillo were arrested in Miami and held without bond to await extradition to Mexico. Despite strong lobbying by the exile community, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block extradition. The pair were flown back to Mexico in 1981 to stand trial.

In Mexico, Jimenez and Castillo were sentenced to nine years in prison. Both later got their prison sentences reduced.

Castillo was released in December and came directly to Miami, where he was welcomed as a hero. Ruiz remains in jail serving a 32-year sentence.

Jimenez, a day laborer before his arrest, will be reunited with his wife, two daughters, mother and sister, all of whom live in Miami.