SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Five men accused of plotting to kill Fidel
                  Castro had histories of helping Cuban refugees and protesting peacefully
                  against Castro's government but were not known to use violence, witnesses
                  called by the defense testified in federal court in San Juan Thursday.

                  Three of the five accused were on a yacht stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard
                  in international waters off Puerto Rico on October 27, 1997. Searchers
                  found two .50-caliber sniper rifles, ammunition, night-vision goggles, radios
                  and satellite navigation equipment aboard. One of the men then blurted out
                  that they had intended to assassinate Castro. Prosecutors charge the other
                  two aided the plot.

                  Although there have been many reports of attempts to kill Castro, this is the
                  first such trial in the United States.

                  When the trial began two weeks ago, defense lawyers said the men actually
                  were going to the island to help any members of Castro's entourage who
                  wanted to defect. They said they needed the military-type equipment for
                  protection.

                  In court Thursday, defense lawyers called a variety of witnesses who
                  testified that the five accused had worked to help refugees for years.

                  Cuban-American activist Evaristo Sotolongo testified that one of the
                  accused, Angel Alfonso, had participated in peaceful demonstrations with
                  him against Castro's government in New York and Miami at various times.

                  "There were never confrontations, fires, accidents nor people with their faces
                  covered (during the protests)," Sotolongo said.

                  Attorney Luis Antonio Dominguez testified that defendant Jose Rodriguez
                  Sosa helped him when he defected from Cuba through Finland.

                  Former Coast Guard pilot Bob Rawley testified that defendant Francisco
                  Secundino Cordova had helped him on various missions to save Cuban
                  rafters attempting to reach Florida.

                  Defense attorneys said they expect to present their final witnesses on Friday.
                  Attorneys on both sides plan to make their closing arguments Monday
                  morning and allow the jury to begin deliberations Monday afternoon.

                  Judge Hector Laffitte on Wednesday dismissed conspiracy charges against a
                  sixth defendant, Alfredo Domingo Otero, for lack of evidence.

                  Otero had been accused of aiding the progress of the yacht, La Esperanza,
                  from Miami. A seventh accused, Juan Bautista Marquez, who was the fourth
                  man on the yacht, will be tried separately at a later date because he is ill with
                  cancer.