Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 3, 2008 2:50:42 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Rebel's Files Show Chávez Aided FARC

Posted May 9, 08 8:09 AM CDT in World 

(Newser) – A cache of computer files found on a dead Colombian guerrilla leader's laptops implicates Hugo Chávez in arms deals with the FARC rebels. The Wall Street Journal reports that Colombian and American intelligence agencies, which came into possession of about 100 files, have no doubt of their authenticity. Both FARC and the Venezuelan president claim that they are counterfeit.

The Colombian government is now asking Interpol to examine the documents, which attest to offers of missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. They also suggest that Venezuela asked FARC for training in guerrilla tactics to prepare for a possible US invasion. FARC has been fighting the Colombian government for nearly 50 years and has held Ingrid Betancourt and others hostage since 2002.

Source Wall Street Journal

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Betancourt Back in Colombia for Anti-FARC Tour

    Nov 30, 08 6:04 PM CST
    Betancourt Back in Colombia for Anti-FARC Tour Former FARC hostage Ingrid Betancourt returned to Colombia yesterday to kick off a tour aimed at getting the rebels to disarm, AFP reports. "I am so very happy to be here," said Betancourt, who has received death threats from FARC and will keep her Colombia visit brief. She met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and is slated to meet Brazil's president on Friday.
    More »

  • US Slaps Sanctions on Chavez Aides

    Sep 13, 08 5:48 AM CDT
    US Slaps Sanctions on Chavez Aides Escalating the diplomatic crisis with Venezuela, the US has frozen the assets of three members of Hugo Chavez's inner circle it accuses of having links with drug-running Colombian rebels, the Wall Street Journal reports. The sanctions follow the expulsion by Venezuela and Bolivia of their US ambassadors—a move the State Department slammed yesterday as a "weak and desperate" attempt to distract restive citizens.
    More »

  • Betancourt: Pope, Faith Saved Me

    Sep 1, 08 2:54 PM CDT
    Betancourt: Pope, Faith Saved Me Ingrid Betancourt realized her dreams today when she met privately with Pope Benedict, Reuters reports. The freed French-Colombian hostage says she was overcome with emotion after hearing the pope appeal for her release on the radio during her 7 years in captivity. The 46-year-old Catholic had never read the Bible—"a dusty old book"—before being abducted, but it is now her "instruction manual for happiness." More »

  • 1M-Plus March for Colombian Hostages

    Jul 20, 08 6:50 PM CDT
    1M-Plus March for Colombian Hostages More than a million people marched in Bogota, Columbia and other world capitals today demanding the freedom of captives held hostage by leftist rebels in the Columbian jungle, AFP reports. Recently liberated captive Ingrid Betancourt led chants of "No More hostages" in Paris on Columbia's independence day, as famous musicians from across the globe staged a concert there. More »

  • Betancourt Bares 'Soul Hell' of Captivity

    Jul 10, 08 6:09 AM CDT
    Betancourt Bares 'Soul Hell' of Captivity Freed hostage Ingrid Betancourt lived in "soul hell" for years in captivity under a constant threat of death, she said in a riveting interview on CNN's Larry King Live. "I lived for nearly seven years with the awareness that death was my everyday companion," she said. "It was hell. It was hell for the body, it was hell for the soul, it was hell for the mind." More »

Pro-government demonstrators hold a portrait of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez during a May Day march in Caracas, Thursday, May 1, 2008.   (AP Photo/Howard Yanes)
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, right, greets France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner during a meeting at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Wednesday, April 30, 2008. Kouchner sought...   (AP Photo/Miraflores Press Office, Juan Carlos Solorzano)
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez talks at summit for the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, or ALBA, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Wednesday, April 23, 2008.   (AP Photo/Howard Yanes)
A march calls for the freedom of Ingrid Betancourt and other hostages held by the FARC, Sunday, April 6, 2008 in front of the National Assembly in Paris. Betancourt, who has been held hostage by the FARC...   (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 4)

Tags

Venezuela • Colombia • Hugo Chávez • FARC • Ingrid Betancourt • US intelligence • Interpol


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »