Colombian authorities captured four alleged FARC guerrillas held responsible for the kidnapping of a major who the rebels recently announced plans to release.
In December 2010, the FARC announced that they would release five hostages, among them Major Guillermo Javier Solorzano. The captured rebels are reportedly responsible for his captivity.
Police Chief General Oscar Naranjo said the capture of the rebels will not affect the planned liberation of the hostages, El Espectador reported Tuesday.
Naranjo said that the arrest of four FARC members came after several months of investigations and surveillance, in and around Cali.
“It’s been highly publicized and determined policy by the government that we do not paralyze judicial investigations, we will not suspend the execution of arrest warrants and in this we are obeying a mandate from the prosecutor general and the judges who ordered the capture of these four individuals,” said Naranjo.
Among the detained FARC members was Hector Fabio Echeverry, alias “Alex,” who is allegedly responsible for the kidnapping of 12 Valle del Cauca deputies and the murder of six policemen in 2006. This is in addition to other charges related to terrorism and the trafficking of explosives.
