Filiberto Ojeda Rios
In case you weren’t aware:
From The Economist print edition
Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Puerto Rican revolutionary
Sep 29th 2005
PUERTO RICO is a not-quite-this, not-quite-that sort of place: a part of the United States but culturally and linguistically very Spanish, politically American but technically a “commonwealth”, not a state, whose people pay no federal taxes and have no vote in presidential elections. For some, this is a satisfactory equilibrium; for others, a half-way house on the way to statehood. For Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, it was a form of purgatory, an unwelcome condition between the hell of Spanish colonialism and the relatively celestial end-point of independence. But since independence was awkwardly neither desired by most Puerto Ricans nor offered by the other citizens of the United States, he would fight for it and, if need be, die for it. This he did, in a shoot-out with the FBI at a farmhouse in western Puerto Rico last Friday.
continued with text from wikipedia
Death Scene
The morning of the day after the gunshots 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. At the time of death, Ojeda was wearing a bulletproof vest and wore camouflage pants and a camouflage hat.
Ojeda’s body was found lying face down, just outside the door of the home. 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.
Documents were discovered 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 hostilities.
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 was allowed to enter the area by land or air. A local news crew attempting to cross the perimeter in a helicopter was warned off.
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 the afternoon of September 24. She said his last words when she left him alive were pa’lante siempre (forever onward).
and of course, continued with text from Vivir Latino
FBI Off the Hook for Killing of Rican Nationalist
Surprise surprise. Last week the Federal Department of Justice determined that FBI acted appropriately when they shot and killed Puerto Rican nationalist leader and Machetero Filiberto Ojeda Rios last September 23. The only criticism the Feds made was that there were some procedural issues in the shooting, including delayed communications between FBI headquarters and agents at the scene. According to CNN the report said:
“Although our report did not find that the FBI violated the deadly force policy or intentionally allowed Ojeda to die, we did find deficiencies in the FBI’s conduct of the arrest operation,” the report said. FBI decisions suffered from inadequate consideration of alternative options and inadequate preparation for foreseeable scenarios.”
The real issue is why there was a delay of 18 hours from when Filiberto was shot until someone went inside. Many Ricans on all sides of the status issue feel that Filiberto was allowed to bleed to death on purpose. Of course the FBI claims otherwise. The Hartford Courant wrote:
The inspector general concluded the delay was justified, given a variety of uncertainties that existed at the time, including the fear that Ojeda, an expert in improvised explosive devices, might have booby-trapped his house. There were also agents who suspected that Ojeda was not alone, given the rate of fire that had initially burst from the house.
BUT NOOOO!
Report backs FBI in Puerto Rican’s death
From Terry Frieden
CNN Washington Bureau
Wednesday, August 9, 2006; Posted: 3:01 p.m. EDT (19:01 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The FBI appropriately handled the September 2005 shooting death of a Puerto Rican independence movement leader, a Justice Department investigation concluded Wednesday.
The inspector general’s probe determined the FBI’s use of deadly force was proper in the killing of Filiberto Ojeda Rios, leader of the Macheteros movement, at his house in rural Puerto Rico.
Ojeda bled to death after FBI sniper fire wounded him, prompting allegations on the Caribbean island that agents intentionally allowed him to die.
Wednesday’s internal report rejected those accusations, concluding the decision to delay entry into Ojeda’s house by 18 hours was prompted by legitimate safety concerns.
Since the 1970s, Ojeda’s Macheteros organization has claimed responsibility for acts of violence in its campaign to win independence for Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth.
In 1985, Ojeda was arrested in a 1983 Wells Fargo robbery and shooting of an FBI agent in West Hartford, Connecticut. He was convicted in absentia in 1992 after fleeing while on bond before trial.
Inspector General Glenn Fine found fault with some procedural issues in the Ojeda shooting, including delayed communications between FBI headquarters and agents at the scene.
“Although our report did not find that the FBI violated the deadly force policy or intentionally allowed Ojeda to die, we did find deficiencies in the FBI’s conduct of the arrest operation,” the report said.
“FBI decisions suffered from inadequate consideration of alternative options and inadequate preparation for foreseeable scenarios.”
In response to the report, the bureau said that “shooting incidents are sometimes an unfortunate result given the nature of the FBI’s mission.”
“The FBI recognizes the importance of strengthening communication and coordination between FBI headquarters, the hostage rescue team and our field offices during significant operational matters of this nature,” the agency’s statement said, adding that the investigation will “contribute significantly to a better understanding of this case and planning for future operations.”
I wonder if there was a reason for all this???
Here are some friends that pay attention to US Foreign Policy: Bee Hive Collective. Look em up.
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