BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombia's main rebel group executed four of its longest-held captives during combat Saturday between guerrillas and soldiers searching for the men, the government said. A fifth captive fled into the jungle and survived. President Juan Manuel Santos called the killing of a soldier and three police officers "a crime against humanity" and dismissed any suggestions that Colombia's armed forces might be responsible. "They were held hostage for between 12 and...

Amid last night's Republican presidential debate on foreign policy, one of the more obscure references made by candidates was to the threat of Islamic terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah operating in Latin America. Both Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney cited Islamist threats in Latin America. Governor Perry claimed that "Hamas and Hezbollah are working in Mexico, as well as Iran, with their ploy to come into the United States," and warned of...

Several Venezuelan military officials are among the "international contacts" of Rodrigo Londoño Echeverry aka "Timochenko," the newly appointed leader of guerrilla organization Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), according to a report released by Colombian newspaper El Tiempo. The Colombian daily said in an article that in 2003 "Timochenko" reported on "agreements" between the FARC and the Venezuelan army to "provide...

Reporters Without Borders calls on the authorities in the north-central state of Zacatecas to do everything possible to find two employees of the Mexico City-based business daily El Financiero, regional circulation supervisor Osvaldo García Iñiguez and driver José de Jesús Ortiz Parra, who went missing on a Zacatecas highway on 14 November. Both the local and federal police are looking for them. In a separate development, gunmen opened fire on the headquarters of...

A newspaper in the northern Mexican city of Torreon says it was attacked by armed men early Tuesday. El Siglo de Torreon's website says at least three men drove up, set fire to the facade of its offices and opened fire at its sales offices. The paper's assistant editorial director, Javier Garza, says the attack is puzzling because more than a year ago the paper stopped mentioning drug cartels or reporting stories about organized crime. Other media in the nearby border state of Tamaulipas also...

The Secretariat of the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia reported that the choice of "Timochenko", whose real name is Rodrigo Londoño, was by unanimous decision. "Is warranted so the continuity of the Strategic Plan for the seizure of power for the people", indicates, also, the communiqué disclosed Tuesday. 52-Year-old "Timochenko", known in the rebel ranks as Timoleón Jiménez, served as head of the Magdalena Medio bloc, which...

Relatives of political prisoners held in the National Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin) and in the prison center of Ramo Verde urged President Hugo Chávez to ensure compliance with human rights of the population deprived of liberty, some of whom are seriously ill. At a press conference, Yajaira de Forero, the wife of former police chief Lázaro Forero, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the events of April 11, 2002, recalled the words of President Hugo...

Anonymous IberoAmerica, the Latin American collective within the Anonymous hacktivist group, has called off its operation to expose members of the Zetas narcotics cartel after announcing that a kidnapped Anonymous member was released. The released hostage also reportedly delivered a message: that the Zetas would kill ten people for every name of a Zeta associate released by Anonymous. Anonymous members launched an effort called OpCartel last week after claiming a member had been kidnapped...

Police in Ciudad Juarez, a northern border city regarded as Mexico’s murder capital, arrested a score of activists while they were painting crosses with the names of victims of violent crime. The “indignants of Ciudad Juarez” managed to paint about 100 black crosses at spots where some of the more than 9,000 victims of violence in Juarez were found slain over the past three years. The activists responded to a call by the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, led by...

After successfully taking out a child porn ring, Anonymous is threatening war on November 5th with Mexico's Zetas drug cartel, after the kidnapping of an Anonymous member from Veracruz. The video states that if the Mexican drug cartel doesn't free the kidnapped Anonymous member unharmed, the hacking group will release the names, addresses and photos of taxi drivers, journalists and police officers on the payroll of the criminal gang. The video ends with an ultimatum that simply states...