Betancourt freed as army hoodwinks rebels
Published:
COLOMBIAN spies tricked leftist rebels into handing over kidnapped presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt in a daring helicopter rescue.
Three US military contractors were also freed in an operation where not a single shot was fired.
Ms Betancourt, who was seized on the campaign trail six years ago, appeared thin but surprisingly healthy as she strode down the stairs of a military plane and held her mother in a long embrace.
“God, this is a miracle,” Ms Betancourt said. “Such a perfect operation is unprecedented.”
Eleven Colombian police and soldiers were also freed in the most serious blow ever dealt to the 44-year-old Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which considered the four hostages their most valuable bargaining chips. The FARC is already reeling from the deaths of key commanders and the loss of much of the territory it once held.
The Americans – Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell – were flown directly to the United States.
