Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

On April 27, in a complex attack in the area of Puerto Rico, Caqueta Department, four
soldiers and one police sergeant were killed in an ambush. In a separate attack on the
police station in Puerto Rico, two civilian adults and their baby were killed when one of
five improvised mortars fell short and landed in their house.
Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Law enforcement cooperation between
Colombia and the United States remained outstanding. Colombia extradited 183 individuals to
the United States. Evidence sharing and joint law enforcement operations occurred in a fluid and
efficient manner, with information gathered in Colombia contributing to hundreds of
prosecutions of U.S.-based criminals and organizations.
In June, the Colombian Congress passed and President Santos signed the Legal Framework for
Peace, a groundbreaking piece of legislation meant to lay the groundwork for future legislation
on transitional justice. The legislation, which was facing a challenge in the country’s
constitutional court, will allow the Colombian justice system to prioritize the prosecution of key
terrorist leaders.
Colombian border security remained an area of vulnerability. The CNP does not have uniform
policies for vehicle or passenger inspection at land border crossings. Biometric and biographic
screening is conducted only at international airports. Improved relations with neighboring
Ecuador and Venezuela have led to increased cooperation from those countries on law
enforcement issues. Colombia also continued cooperation and information sharing with the
Panamanian National Border Service. The CNP does not currently utilize advance passenger
name records, but was in the process of designing and procuring a system that will allow it to do
so.
Colombian authorities arrested several important FARC members in 2012. Ruben Pena
Santacoloma, alias “Ancizar,” was arrested for his role in FARC takeovers of several small
towns and his cruel treatment of kidnapping victims in his custody. In September, FARC
member Angelo “Piloso” Caceres was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his role in the murder
of three American citizen indigenous rights advocates in 1999.
Kidnappings as a whole have declined in recent years. In 2010, Colombia saw a 93 percent
reduction in kidnappings from 2000. The CNP Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Extortion Directorate
(DIASE, also referred to as GAULA) has formed a four-man international kidnapping unit to
address any kidnappings involving foreign nationals. This team primarily exists to investigate
kidnapping and extortion matters involving U.S. citizens and entities. Additionally, the FBI and
GAULA are working together to form a formal vetted team, consisting of 10 to 12 members, that
will focus on kidnapping, extortion, and other terrorism-related matters of interest to the U.S. and
Colombia.
Colombia continued to participate in the Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA)
program. ATA provided Colombia with instructor development and crisis response team training
to enable it to expand its role both as a regional provider of counterterrorism training to other
countries in the Western Hemisphere, and as a senior participant in joint trainings with other
ATA partner nations.
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