Incident Summary:
10/11/2009: On Sunday afternoon, in the soccer field of Chururu in the municipality of Fernandez Feo, department of Cachira, Venezuela, ten Colombian, one Peruvian and Venezuelan soccer players of ‘Los Maniceros’ team were taken hostage before the game started. The players were force, by armed men with rifles, to give up all belongings and were loaded into the coach assistance’s truck. The victims report were: Rubén Hernández, of 30 years old; Gerardo Vega, of 34 years old; José Luis Arenas, of 17 years old; Ángel Aldemar León, of 18 years old; Eduardo Ricardo Gamboa, of 18 years old; Michael Bello, of 17 years old; Manuel Cortez, of 18 years old; Julián Anaya, of 17 years old; Carlos Adolfo Amador, of 25 years old; Pompeyo Miguel, of 27 years old; Mauricio Ospina, of 27 years old, and Diego Alexis Poblador, of 25 years old. On 10/25/2009 in Tachira, Venezuela the body of the 10 of the soccer players were found bearing gunshot wounds. One survived a gun shot wound to the neck and is at the hospital with heavy security, the last hostage’s body was found dead days later. No group claimed responsibility but authorities believe the National Liberation Army (ELN) was responsible.
Overview
GTD ID:
200910110016
When:
2009-10-11
Country:
Venezuela
Region:
South America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Tachira
City:
Fernandez Feo
Location Details:
The kidnapping took place in the soccer field Churchuru, in the municipality of Fernandez Feo, department of Cachira, Venezuela.
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Armed Assault |
Type of Attack () |
Hostage Taking (Kidnapping) |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property |
Name of Entity |
Los Maniceros |
Specific Description |
Ten Colombian soccer players member of the team Los Maniceros |
Nationality of Target |
Colombia |
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property |
Name of Entity |
|
Specific Description |
A Peruvian soccer player member of the team Los Maniceros was targeted. |
Nationality of Target |
Peru |
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property |
Name of Entity |
|
Specific Description |
A Venezuelan soccer player member of the team Los Maniceros was targeted. |
Nationality of Target |
Vatican City |
Additional Information
Hostages |
Yes |
Number of Hostages |
12 |
US Hostages |
0 |
Days of Kidnapping |
14 |
Outcome |
Combination |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
No |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Firearms |
Unknown Gun Type |
Weapon Details |
Rifles and other unknown firearms were used in the attack. |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | No |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
No |
Additional Information |
The summary of this incident was partially based on articles originally written in Spanish. Sources details the outcome of the incident as a combination of 10 bodies found dead on 10/24/2009, another survived a gunshot wound to the neck, the dead body of the last hostage was found days later in an unspecified date. |
Who
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
0 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
10 Fatalities / 1 Injured |
Total Number of Fatalities |
10 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
0 |
Total Number of Injured |
1 |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
Ministry of Defense,"Ten Colombian Soccer Players Kidnapped in Venezuela," http://www.fac.mil.co/?idcategoria=43596 (October 15, 2009). |
La Nacion, "Twelve Bodies were Found Dead Near the Border of Venezuela and Colombia," http://www.lanacion.cl/rumbo-a-colombia-cuerpos-de-asesinados-en-venezuela/noticias/2009-10-27/074830.html (October 27, 2009). |
National Counterterrorism Center, "Ten Civilians, One Child Kidnapped and Wounded in Armed Attack by Suspected ELN in Churchuru, Tachira, Venezuela," Worldwide Incidents Tracking System, April 23, 2010. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties