The group has claimed responsibility for numerous armed robberies and terrorist bombings since 1978 and is currently lead by Filiberto Ojeda Rios, a former FBI Most Wanted Fugitives.
Also known as: Los Macheteros (or "The Machete Wielders" in English), Puerto Rican Popular Army.
Members of this group are called Macheteros (plural) or Machetero (singular).
| Table of contents |
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2 Notable acts / incidents 3 Terrorists or heroes? 4 Famous group members 5 References 6 Related Topics 7 External Links |
Background
Los Macheteros were organized in the 1970s by Filiberto Ojeda Rios, Juan Enrique Segarra Palmer and Orlando Gonzalez Claudio. The group began in 1976, but it can trace its origins back to the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN).
Upon its beginnings, the group attracted a wide variety of Puerto Ricans, including:
Notable acts / incidents
1970s
In January 2, 1977 one day after Carlos Romero Barcelo was sworn in as Governor of Puerto Rico, two bombs were placed at an ROTC building in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The bombs were succesfully destroyed by the police, but the Macheteros took responsibility for the incident.
1980s
Los Macheteros most infamous act was a Wells Fargo depot robbery of approximately $7 million in West Hartford, Connecticut (USA) in September 12, 1983. The group's code name for the robbery was "White Eagle" (or "Águila Blanca" in Spanish).
After the robbery, the Macheteros threw some of the robbed money to the air from high floor buildings and kept the remaining sum to fund the robbery operation.
By Puerto Rican, American, and International laws the act is considered as terrorist due to the way it was executed and the experience suffered by the Wells Fargo security guards.
The United States FBI charges for this robbery include: Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Robbery of Federally Insured Bank Funds, Armed Robbery, and Conspiracy to Interfere With Commerce By Robbery.
See also: White Eagle: the Wells Fargo depot robbery.
1990s
In the 1990s Los Macheteros claimed responsability on a bomb explosion that ocurred in a small power station in the Puerto Rican metropolitan area. The explosion damages left some Puerto Ricans without electricity.
In that same decade, the group also vandalized a new fleet of government vans and trucks that were parked in a government facility. The damages left the automobiles non-operative.
| Name | Remarks |
|---|---|
| Antonio Camacho Negron | released from imprisonment by Bill Clinton's clemency |
| Filiberto Ojeda Rios | co-founder current leader former FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives |
| Juan Enrique Segarra Palmer | co-founder |
| Orlando Gonzalez Claudio | co-founder |
| Victor Manuel Gerena | former FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives inside man for the Wells Cargo depot robbery |
References
Related Topics
External Links