EXCLUSIVE FIGARO MAGAZINE - How the army and the Colombian intelligence services have they managed to fool one of the most paranoid in the world? Decrypting a plan that went smoothly.
"Operation worthy of a movie ',' epic epic" ... The Colombian authorities have no words strong enough to describe their success after the release of Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other FARC hostages. Yet failure is an ingredient to make a Hollywood blockbuster: shootings. Alvaro Uribe, the Colombian president, has stressed on several occasions: not a shot was fired during the operation, and no one was injured. "We have never improvised," he says to explain the unexpected success of an operation conducted by a thorough and effective modern army. Le Figaro Magazine was able to interview the Colonel Gomez, one of the main organizers of this release, which goes behind the scenes.
Act I: infiltration. Evidence suggests that Thursday morning, the British had managed to infiltrate "agents" of military intelligence at two levels of the organization FARC. "At least one man" was able to integrate the "first circle of the Armed Forces Forces of Colombia, its secretariat, a body of collective leadership. Others seem to have been placed in front of a number of FARC, led by Gerardo Antonio Aguilar, alias "Cesar". The British did not say how many officers were involved in this huge bluff, nor how long they were infiltrators. Still, this first step has been made possible by an intensive intelligence work, in collaboration with U.S. and Israeli consultants.
Act II: identification. In an interview published Saturday in Le Figaro Magazine, Colonel Gomez, one of the main organizers of these releases was that the Colombian military had located the hostages since "approximately four months." "We had technical information and also information obtained by the infiltrators'. About 200 soldiers were involved in this phase, and some have come very near the area where the hostages were undetected. In early May, soldiers have even seen two American hostages, and two Colombians who washed into the river, but we did not want to attempt a release order not to endanger the lives of others. "
Act III: the bluff. The objective of President Uribe to free the hostages most important, foremost among them Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans. But they are divided into three groups held in different places. Taking advantage of the beheading of the organization after the death of Raul Reyes and number 2 of the historic leader Manuel Marulanda, with the undercover agent in the secretariat, the army managed to FARC to believe that their new leader, Alfonso Cano , ordered the consolidation of the hostages and their transfer to a new place, for a possible prisoner exchange. According to Colonel Gomez, officers even managed to circulate this order on the fictional radio waves from the guerrillas.
The jailers are convinced that they must transfer the 15 hostages who were among a group of 39 captive-called "policies" that the rebels wanted to exchange against 500 of their imprisoned by the Colombian authorities. The FARC commander Asprilla confirmed Ingrid Betancourt one hour before surgery. The hostages are then carried to a rendezvous point where two helicopters waiting. They are white, without any distinguishing mark. This is actually M-17 of the Colombian Army, repainted as soon as possible by the military.
Act IV: action. The plan being put together, yet to take action. The army was indeed a "plan B" in case of a hitch: circle the FARC captors without fighting and to bring humanitarian organizations to negotiate the release. But it will not be used. Men are descended from a helicopter. They wear t-shirts bearing the image of Che Guevara and are even equipped with AK-47 rifles, weapons typical of the guerrillas and not the Colombian army. They say they are responsible for transporting the hostages by helicopter to a camp to meet the new leader of FARC, Alfonso Cano. In confidence, Cesar climbs into the machine. He was immediately neutralized by Colombian agents. Meanwhile, other men handcuffed the hostages to deceive the other guerrillas and are mounted in the M-17. Doors are slammed behind them. In total, this phase did not last more than five minutes.
Act V: deliverance. Immediately, Ingrid Betancourt noticed a naked man, blindfolded on the floor of the unit. She then recognizes Cesar, his torturer, who had humiliated repeatedly during his captivity. The commander and a member of his staff, appears to have been previously deceived by disguises and immediately neutralized. It was at that moment that the head of the Colombian army operation falls the mask. " You're free. " The hostages scream, cry, leap into the air with joy, as the story of Betancourt, who emphasized that he was scared that the helicopter crashed. In total, nine people participated in this phase of the operation.
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