Cablegate: Suspected "Bolivarian" Terrorists Detained At

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL EC PE
SUBJECT: SUSPECTED "BOLIVARIAN" TERRORISTS DETAINED AT
ECUADORAN BORDER

1. (SBU) Agents of the Peruvian National Police (PNP)
Anti-Terrorism Directorate (DIRCOTE) February 29 in the
northern region of Tumbes arrested seven alleged members of
the "Bolivarian Continental Coordinating Committee"
(Coordinadora Nacional Bolivariana -- CNB), including the
organization's president, according to media reports. The
seven reportedly were returning to Peru from Ecuador, where
they had taken part in a CNB meeting in Quito. PNP sources
reported that the CNB was an umbrella organization, based in
Venezuela, that sought to link "terrorist groups" with
anti-systemic actors throughout the Andean region. According
to press reports, PNP officials said the seven were carrying
CNB propaganda and suspected that the group intended to
sabotage APEC events taking place in Peru this year. The PNP
also believed the seven may have had contact while in Quito
with members of Colombia's FARC, and also that the CNB has
links to the near defunct Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement
(MRTA) in Peru.

2. (SBU) Government officials, including Prime Minister
Jorge del Castillo and Interior Minister Luis Alva Castro,
have publicly claimed that Venezuela-funded ALBA houses and
other "Bolivarian" groups are seeking to destabilize the GOP
during a year in which Peru is in the international
limelight. Comment: The government views the security of its
high-level international visitors as a top priority; the
arrest of the seven suspected radicals underscores its
willingness to preempt the threats in the early stages, as
necessary. End Comment.
NEALON

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