A FARC guerrilla known as “El Gringo,” responsible for many kidnappings, was captured by police after his legs were blown off by a landmine in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, south-western Colombia, reports El Espectador.
“El Gringo, who, ironically, was a sniper and expert in explosives, was caught when he was taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries caused by an exploding mine, which ultimately led to the amputation of his lower limbs.” said police chief General Oscar Naranjo.
As the head of the FARC’s mobile column “Gabriel Galviz,” El Gringo was responsible for many kidnappings in the departments of Valle and Cauca, including those of Police Major Guillermo Javier Solozano and Corporal Salim Antonio Sanmiguel, according to the evidence and testimony of several demobilized guerillas.
Born Manuel Velasquez Perez in Barbosa, Santander, north-east Colombia, El Gringo’s career as a guerrilla began January 15, 2001. After operating in Guaviare, a region in the southern part of central Colombia, he was sent to the “Gabriel Galviz” column.
In an attack on the El Arenillo police station July 2, 2006, he killed six policemen and ordered them to be burned on the spot, winning him the confidence of the FARC leadership. He is 27 years old.