"This has been one of the best political operations we have carried out for years in the northern coast of Colombia," said Dairo Martinez, a local commander of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, in an interview with Reuters in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
His face covered by a red-and-black ELN bandanna, Martinez spoke to Reuters on Monday, soon after rebels freed Reinhilt Weigel, who is German, and Spaniard Asier Huegun. Because of the remote location, the interview could not be released until Friday.
The Cuban-inspired rebels kidnapped eight backpackers they snatched at Indian ruins on Sept. 12, and demanded a humanitarian commission investigate what they said was a blockade by far-right gunmen in the Sierra Nevada.***
The clashes, triggered by police seizures of illegal fireworks, raised tensions in the world's No. 5 oil exporter as electoral authorities prepared to evaluate an opposition request for a referendum on the rule of leftist President Hugo Chavez.
Police said the demonstrators, some shouting slogans in support of Chavez, fired guns at officers and threw firecrackers. Bystanders ran for cover and downtown shopkeepers shuttered their premises.
"It seems as though some people are trying to create disorder in the capital, for some dark purposes," Metropolitan Police deputy director Orlando Gutierrez told Reuters.
He said one officer was hit on the head by a stone. Fire service chief Rodolfo Briceno said two officers were hurt.
The disturbances in the capital spread to the area outside the National Electoral Council, where national guard troops in full riot gear fired tear gas to disperse the protesters. Security was reinforced around the council with more guards and two armored vehicles. ***