ELN sniper captured after planning attack on President De la Espriella
Colombian police arrested alias "Firu", an ELN sniper accused of planning an attack on the president. On the same day, an ELN drone attack left two soldiers dead in Ocaña.
Operation Sparta: sniper targeting Colombian president arrested
Colombia's National Police captured on Thursday a man known as alias Firu or Firulais, a sniper member of the National Liberation Army (ELN) accused of having participated in planning an attack on President Abelardo De la Espriella, according to lavanguardia.com. The arrest was publicly confirmed on Friday.
"Captured the ELN sniper who participated in planning an attack on my life!", De la Espriella wrote on his X account.
The operation, named Operation Sparta, was coordinated by the Criminal Investigation Directorate and Interpol (Dijín) of the National Police. Firu was arrested in the municipality of Ocaña, in the department of Norte de Santander, in the north-east of the country and in a border zone with Venezuela.
According to the president himself, the detainee belonged to the Camilo Torres Restrepo Front of the ELN and was specialised as a precision marksman. "Intelligence information indicates that he would have been designated by the General Staff of the North-eastern War Front to participate in the planning and execution of an armed action against me," said De la Espriella, referring to the largest bloc of the ELN, which exercises control over part of the Catatumbo region.
Firu is also facing charges for the murder of three police officers in the municipality of Río de Oro, in the department of Cesar, and for participation in attacks using explosive devices against the Armed Forces. There was an outstanding warrant against him for aggravated murder of a protected person and for manufacture, trafficking or possession of firearms.
Drone attack leaves two soldiers dead in Ocaña
On the same day as Firu's arrest, the Camilo Torres Restrepo Front of the ELN attacked the El Trapiche military canton in Ocaña with explosives launched from drones. The operation took place around 19:20 local time (00:20 GMT), when neighbours in the area heard the first detonations.
"The preliminary report confirms the murder of one officer and one professional soldier, and five professional soldiers wounded. An aircraft from our Air Force was also struck by shrapnel," De la Espriella said on the same social network. A helicopter was affected by the explosions, as were other installations at the canton, whose damage assessment was still ongoing.
"To the families of our two murdered heroes, all my solidarity, my prayers and Colombia's gratitude. To our wounded soldiers, my wishes for a speedy recovery," the president said.
The Colombian Army activated established security protocols and proceeded to verify the extent of the damage caused by the explosive devices.
Catatumbo, epicentre of armed violence
Norte de Santander, and particularly the Catatumbo region, concentrates the presence of several illegal armed groups, including the ELN and the 33rd front of FARC dissident groups. The area has recorded an escalation of violence in recent months.
In response to the situation, De la Espriella announced the design of a new security strategy for the region. "I will design, together with the military and police leadership, a new strategy for Catatumbo. We will strike their structures, their leaders, their finances and the illicit economies that feed their criminal machinery," said the president.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)