Filiberto Ojeda Ríos
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Filiberto Ojeda Ríos
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Filiberto Ojeda Ríos (April 26, 1933 – September 23, 2005) was the "Responsible General" of the Boricua Popular Army, or Ejército Popular Boricua – Los Macheteros, a clandestine paramilitary, organization, considered by United States law enforcement agencies to be a terrorist organization, based on the island of Puerto Rico, with branches throughout the United States and other countries. Los Macheteros is an ultra-minority political group which, through violent means, campaigns, supports, and promotes the independence of Puerto Rico from what they characterize as 107 years of oppressive U.S. colonial rule.
Ojeda Ríos was wanted as a fugitive by the FBI for his role in the 1983 Wells Fargo depot robbery in West Hartford, Connecticut, as well as a bail bond default in September 1990.
After years of hiding, Ojeda Ríos was killed on September 23, 2005 when members of the FBI attempted to serve an arrest warrant after surrounding the clandestine house in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico where he was hiding. The FBI operation has raised questions both inside and outside Puerto Rico. (See Death and FBI Operation Below)
Ojeda Ríos death has been mourned by members of the Puerto Rican Independence movement, who have expressed their displeasure with the results of the FBI operation through repeated protests. [1] Members of the statehood movement and supporters of the Commonwealth have also criticized the Federal and local management of this incident, and have raised questions about the circumstances that led to his death. In late March of 2006, the Puerto Rico Justice Department sued federal authorities, including FBI Director Robert Mueller and Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, seeking an injunction to force the federal government authorities to provide the Commonwealth government with information related to the operation in which Ojeda Ríos died, as well as another one in which the FBI searched the homes of independence supporters affiliated with Los Macheteros.
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[edit] Biography
Ojeda Ríos was born April 26, 1933 in Naguabo, Puerto Rico. An amateur musician, he played trumpet and guitar.
In 1961, he moved his family from Puerto Rico to Cuba and was recruited into the General Intelligence Directorate, the Cuban intelligence service. A year later he returned to Puerto Rico, allegedly to spy on the United States military.
In 1967 he founded and led the very first of Puerto Rico's new militant political groups, the Armed Revolutionary Independence Movement (Movimiento Armado Revolucionario Indepentista) (MIRA). The organization was disbanded by police in the early 1970s and Ríos was arrested. He subsequently skipped bail and moved to New York, organizing the Armed Forces of National Liberation (Fuerzas Armadas de la Liberación Nacional) (FALN) with former MIRA members as a membership base.
In 1976, Ojeda Ríos founded the Boricua Popular Army (Ejercito Popular Boricua), also known as Los Macheteros (The Machete Wielders), so named because sugar cane stalks were historically cut at harvest time by machete-wielding farm workers.
Los Macheteros have been alleged to be either directly or indirectly responsible for numerous acts of terrorism and bombings in Puerto Rico and the mainland United States. In one incident, they claimed responsibility for an explosion at a popular eatery/nightclub, wounding several people and killing an innocent bystander, a young married man from New York who was about to celebrate his children's birthday that evening. They also killed a Puerto Rican policeman who refused to surrender his service revolver, and shot 15 unarmed US Navy personnel in two attacks, killing 3 and wounding 12. They also placed explosives at several US and local government and civilian facilities, some of which exploded, some of which did not. Yet others were successfully defused.
On September 12, 1983, Los Macheteros stole approximately $7 million from a Wells Fargo depot in West Hartford, Connecticut. The money obtained from this operation was allegedly used to help fund the Puerto Rican independence movement, but there is ample evidence that a significant portion of the stolen funds -- a minimum of $2-$3 million -- was funnelled to Cuba through their embassy in Mexico City by one of the members of Los Macheteros. Spanish - El robo de $7 millones de la Wells Fargo Automated Spanish -> English translation of article
In 1985, 19 members of Los Macheteros were indicted for offenses associated with the Wells Fargo heist. When Federal authorities attempted to arrest Ojeda Rios, he fired on them and wounded an FBI agent. Ojeda Rios was released on bond after his attorneys claimed he had been denied a speedy trial, although the delay in bringing him to trial was largely the result of defense motions. Ojeda Rios cut off the electronic monitoring device that had been placed on his ankle as a condition of his release, and became a fugitive. Fourteen were convicted after trial; one was acquitted. Charges against another were dismissed. Three, including Ojeda Ríos and Victor Manuel Gerena, were able to elude authorities.
In July of 1992, Ojeda Ríos was sentenced in absentia to 55 years in prison and fined $600,000 for his role in the Wells Fargo heist.
[edit] Death
On September 23, 2005, the anniversary of "el Grito de Lares" ("The Cry of Lares") members of the FBI San Juan field office surrounded a modest home in the outskirts of the town of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, where Ojeda Ríos was believed to be hiding. The FBI claims that it was performing surveillance of the area driven by reports that Ojeda Rios was seen in the home. In their press release, the FBI then states they determined their surveillance team was detected, and decided to proceed with serving an arrest warrant against Ojeda Rios. As the agents approached the home, shots were fired from inside and outside the house wounding an FBI agent and fatally wounding Ojeda Ríos, whom the coroner concluded bled to death over the course of several hours. No clear evidence has emerged to prove who fired the first shots.
According to Ojeda Rios' wife, Elma Beatriz Rosada Barbosa, as well as neighbor Héctor Reyes, it was the FBI agents who initiated the shooting at 3:00 pm. The FBI, however, claims in its official press release issued on September 24 that "As the FBI agents approached the front of the farm house at approximately 4:28 p.m., Ojeda-Rios opened the front door to the residence and opened fire on the FBI agents... In response to the gunfire from Ojeda-Rios, the FBI returned fire and established a defensive perimeter in order to contain the environment."
Elma Beatriz has made statements saying Ojeda Rios was willing to turn himself in to journalist Jésus Dávila, but his offer was rebuffed by the agents, who feared he would take the journalist as a hostage.
The Commonwealth Police Superintendent, Pedro Toledo Dávila, confirmed through a local news radio station, WAPA Radio, that the former Most Wanted fugitive was dead. The Government of Puerto Rico also confirmed the information. However, the FBI did not release any confirmation regarding Ojeda's death until the next day.
On September 24, 2005 the FBI contacted the Governor of Puerto Rico to confirm his death. The circumstances of his death are still unclear and questions have been raised as to the intentions of the FBI agents during the operation. Members of the independence movement in Puerto Rico, which historically has been shown to represent some 3% of the total electorate, have called the operation a "political assassination". (2)
Some members of all political parties in Puerto Rico have criticized how this case was handled, and have questioned the selection of September 23 for the operation. The date is a special day for Puerto Rican independence supporters, known as "El Grito de Lares" ("The Cry from Lares"). It is well known that Ojeda Rios would always pick this day to make statements to his followers from undisclosed hideouts. "El Grito De Lares" commemorates Puerto Rican resistance to the Spanish empire. On this day in 1868, a group of Puerto Rican revolutionaries rose up in rebellion against the then-ruling Spanish colonial authorities. Although the rebellion was quickly suppressed, the anniversary of the uprising is commemorated annually and is one of the most important dates for the independence movement.
The current Governor of Puerto Rico Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, has criticized as "improper" and "highly irregular" the FBI actions related to Ojeda's death, and has demanded explanations as to why his government was not informed of the operation. The FBI refuses to release any information regarding the incident other than the official press release, citing security and agent privacy issues, and an on-going internal investigation. Nevertheless, the Puerto Rico Justice Department has filed suit in federal court against the FBI and the US Attorney General, demanding information crucial to the Commonwealth's investigation of the incident.
Governor Acevedo Vilá has also argued that there was no doubt Ojeda's death was sure to cause political turmoil on the island, and has strongly questioned why the local media and press were not allowed to cover the operation. Nevertheless, he refused calls from the independence movements to establish an official period of mourning.
[edit] Death Scene
The morning of the day after the shots were fired, federal agents once again approached the home. They found Filiberto Ojeda Ríos dead. The autopsy revealed a bullet had entered Ojeda's body below the right clavicle and exited through his lower back. The bullet lacerated one of his lungs but did not damage any arteries or major organs. The forensic investigators and his doctor, Héctor Pesquera, speculated that this was not the type of wound that would have killed Ojeda immediately. The evidence suggests, and the autopsy concluded, that he bled to death, and the nature of the wounds suggested the shots may have been fired by a sniper. At the time of death, Ojeda was wearing a bulletproof vest, and was dressed in camouflaged pants and hat.
Ojeda Rios body was found lying face down, just outside the door of the rural residence where he was hiding. Forensic investigators found a pistol to his right, along with over 20 bullet casings strewn around the scene, including some AR-15 shells. The investigators observed two bullet holes with entry points outside the residence, next to the main entrance door. At the rear of the residence another bullet hole was found, apparently the exit point of one of the rounds.
It was reported that FBI agents remained at the scene well after the body was found, investigating a series of documents that were left burning in a cement "fogón," a type of cooking fireplace. Local authorities were not allowed inside the residence until more than 27 hours after the beginning of the events that led to Ojeda Rios' death.
The FBI has stated they opened fire against Ojeda Ríos after one of their agents was shot. A perimeter was then established by the local police and no one but law enforcement officers were allowed to enter the area by land or air. Attempts by a local news crew to approach on a helicopter were unsuccessful after they were notified they were trespassing federal airspace and could face deadly force if they did not exit the airspace above the perimeter immediately.
During the operation to capture Ojeda, his wife was arrested and a federal agent received a wound to the stomach, said the FBI. Elma Beatriz Rosado, Ojeda's widow, was released from federal custody later on the afternoon of September 24. She said his last words were pa’lante siempre, (forever onward) when she left him alive.
[edit] Charges against him
- Act of Domestic Terrorism
- Aggravated Robbery (1985)
- Aggravated Robbery of Federally Insured Bank Funds (1985)
- Armed Robbery (1985)
- Bond Default (1990)
- Conspiracy to Interfere With Commerce By Robbery (1985)
- Foreign And Interstate Transportation Of Stolen Money (1985)
[edit] See also
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- Boricua Popular Army
- White Eagle: the Wells Fargo depot robbery
- FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
[edit] Recent News
- FBI Searches Homes of Puerto Rico Independence Movement Activists
- (Spanish)Supuesto plan de ataques Macheteros (Supposed plans of Macheteros's attack) FBI releases evidence of planned attacks gained from searches
[edit] External links
- Man Dies in FBI Stakeout in Puerto Rico
- FBI Agent Wounded in Wells Fargo Shootout
- CNN reports the FBI operative against Filiberto Ojeda Rios
- Federation of American Scientists, Intelligence, Cuba, DGI
- FBI San Juan Press Release, Sept. 24, 2005
- Autopsy Results and Causes of Death
- Filiberto Ojeda Ríos' Wife Speaks Out
- DOJ/OIG Review of the September 2005 Shooting Incident Involving the FBI and Filiberto Ojeda Ríos
- Filiberto Ojeda Rios: A Puerto Rican Life, by Ari Paul
[edit] References
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (2005). FBI Fugitive Profile: Filiberto Ojeda Rios. United States of America.
- Edmund Mahony (1999). The Untold Tale Of Victor Gerena. The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut (USA).
- Edmund Mahony (1999). Puerto Rican Independence: The Cuban Connection. The Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut (USA).
- Daniel James (1981). Puerto Rican Terrorists Also Threaten Reagan Assassination. Human Events. United States of America.
