Colombia arrests alleged ELN sniper accused of planning attack on President De la Espriella

Colombian authorities have arrested an alleged ELN sniper accused of helping plan an attack against President Abelardo De la Espriella. Police detained the suspect, known by the aliases Firu and Firulais, on Thursday in Ocaña, in the northeastern department of Norte de Santander near the Venezuelan border.

The arrest took place during Operation Esparta, coordinated by the National Police through its Criminal Investigation Directorate and Interpol, known as Dijín. De la Espriella announced the arrest himself on X, writing: “Captured: the ELN sniper who participated in planning an attack on my life!”

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Captured: the ELN sniper who participated in planning an attack on my life!

The president said intelligence identified the detainee as a member of the ELN’s Camilo Torres Restrepo Front and as a specialist sniper. He said the suspect had allegedly been designated by the General Staff of the Northeastern War Front to participate in planning and carrying out an armed operation against him. The ELN bloc controls part of the Catatumbo region, according to the report.

Authorities also accuse Firu or Firulais of involvement in the killings of three police officers in Río de Oro, in the department of Cesar, and in explosive attacks against security forces. He was wanted on charges including aggravated homicide of a protected person and the manufacture, trafficking or carrying of firearms.

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Intelligence information indicates that he may have been designated by the General Staff of the Northeastern War Front to participate in planning and carrying out an armed operation against me.