HAVANA (Reuters) – A US contractor accused by Cuba of distributing illegal communications equipment remains under investigation, and his alleged actions would be considered a “serious crime” anywhere in the world, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said yesterday.

Whether Rodriguez signalled that Cuba will deal harshly with the man identified in media reports as 60-year-old Alan Gross was not clear, but the case has endangered modest efforts by President Barack Obama to improve long-hostile US-Cuba relations.

“In any place in the world, what has been attributed to what you call the American contractor would be a serious crime,” Rodriguez told reporters after a ceremonial event in Havana.

He said Gross has not been officially charged, but continues to be “under investigation.” Cuba has previously accused Gross of working for US “secret services.”

Gross has been detained since early December when Cuba grabbed him on grounds he had given satellite communications gear to government opponents.

His employer, Maryland-based Development Alternatives Inc, has said he was setting up an Internet system for a “non-dissident religious organization” under a US-funded programme promoting democracy in Cuba.

Under Cuban law, Gross could face several years in jail if tried and convicted.

The detention has prompted calls in Washington for Obama to take a hard line with the Cuban government and put an end for now to what has been a slight thaw in relations.

Obama has slightly eased the long-standing US trade embargo against Cuba and initiated talks on migration and reinstatement of postal service. But he has said further progress depends on improvement on human rights in Cuba.