Colombia’s National Police announced Wednesday the capture of three FARC guerrillas in connection with the kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl, who was returned to her family last month after 19 days in captivity, according to Bogota’s Santa Fe Radio.
Nohora Valentina Muñoz, daughter of the mayor of the northeastern Colombian department of Arauca, was kidnapped on her way to school and held for more than two weeks before being reunited with her family following negotiations by international humanitarian organization The Red Cross.
National Police Director Oscar Naranjo released a statement confirming the capture of three guerrillas of the FARC’s 54th Front, in Bogota and nearby Yopal, in connection with the kidnapping. The arrests are the result of an ongoing investigation by the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Four other FARC members are wanted in connection with the crime, Naranjo said.
Though the leftist guerrilla group has denied involvement in the kidnapping, Minister of Defense Juan Carlos Pinzon has said intelligence information, including recorded communications, leaves no doubt that the FARC were responsible. The Red Cross has declined to comment on the identity of the kidnappers.