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Ejército Popular Boricua
Participant in clandestine operations
MacheteroFlag.jpg  Epb.jpg
Flag and logo of the Boricua Popular Army
Active 1976–Present
Ideology Marxism-Leninism
Leaders Filiberto Ojeda Ríos †
Juan Enrique Segarra Palmer
Orlando González Claudio
Headquarters Unknown
Area of
operations		 Puerto Rico, United States
Strength 1,100 - 5,700
Allies Cuba
Opponents Government of the United States

The Boricua Popular/People's Army — or Ejército Popular Boricua in Spanish — is a clandestine organization based on the island of Puerto Rico, with cells in the United States.[1] They campaign for and support the independence of Puerto Rico from what they characterize as United States colonial rule. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) describes the Boricua Popular Army as a terrorist organization.[2]

Also known as Los Macheteros ("the Machete Wielders") and 'Puerto Rican Popular Army', their active membership was calculated by professor Michael González Cruz on his book Nacionalismo Revolucionario Puertorriqueño to be composed by approximately 5,700 members with an unknown number of supporters, sympathizers, collaborators and informants, with cells (usually consisting of between six and ten members) in the United States and other countries,[3] although a report by The Economist places the number of active members at 1,100 excluding supporters.[3] The group has claimed responsibility for numerous bombings, attacks against the United States armed forces, and armed robberies since 1978, and was led primarily by former FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Filiberto Ojeda Ríos until his death in 2005.

Contents

Background

Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, former leader of the Boricua Popular Army

The name Machetero evokes images of an impromptu band of Puerto Ricans who assembled to defend the island of Puerto Rico from the invading forces of the United States Army during the Spanish–American War, between July 26 and August 12, 1898. Macheteros de Puerto Rico were dispatched throughout the island, working in cooperation with other voluntary groups including the Guardias de la Paz in Yauco and Tiradores de Altura in San Juan.[4] These voluntary units were involved in most of the battles in the Puerto Rican Campaign. Their last involvement was in the Battle of Asomante, where along units led by Captain Hernaíz, defended Aibonito Pass from invading units.[5] The allied offensive was effective, prompting a retreat order from the American side.[6] However, the following morning the signing of the Treaty of Paris was made public. Subsequently, both Spanish and Puerto Rican soldiers and volunteers disengaged and Puerto Rico was annexed by the United States.[6]

The Boricua Popular Army, was organized in the 1970s by Filiberto Ojeda Ríos, Juan Enrique Segarra Palmer and Orlando González Claudio. The group began its operations as such in 1976, however it can trace its origins back to the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN).[7]

Upon its beginnings, the group attracted a wide variety of Puerto Rican independence supporters, including some of the members of the following political organizations: The University Pro-Independence Federation of Puerto Rico (FUPI); Pro-Independence Movement (MPI); Puerto Rican Independence Party and pro-independence activists.[7]

Only some members of the above groups supported the Macheteros' ideology and methods. Other organizations including the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) have a similar political ideology, but they follow the protocol of the insular political system, based on the Commonwealth laws established in 1952.

Notable incidents

  • On August 1978 the group accepted responsibility for the murder of San Juan police officer Julio Rodríguez Rivera while attempting to steal his police car.[8]
  • In 1979, two attacks were made on unarmed US Navy technicians. In the first, on December 3, Macheteros opened fire on a bus carrying sailors, killing CTO1 John R. Ball and RM3 Emil E. White as well as wounding nine.[9] A second attack, on off-duty sailors returning from liberty, killed one and wounded three.[10] The attack was in retaliation for the murder in a prison of a member of the Macheteros by the prison guards who were retired Marines.[9]
  • On January 12, 1981, Machetero commandos infiltrated the Puerto Rico Air National Guard Muñiz Air Base, located on the northeastern corner of the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, and destroyed or damaged ten A-7 Corsair II light attack aircraft and a single F-104 Starfighter supersonic interceptor aircraft, causing approximately $45 million in damages. The subsequent investigation concluded security at the base was so lax that the attackers managed to enter and depart the base without ever being detected.[11]
  • On September 12, 1983 in an operation entitled Águila Blanca (White Eagle) the group assaulted the Wells Fargo depot located in West Hartford, Connecticut stealing a total of seven million dollars. After the robbery, the Macheteros threw some of the stolen money into the air from high floor buildings and used most of the remaining sum to fund their continued operations. According to a written statement from the Macheteros, the action was a symbolic protest against the "greed-infested men and mechanisms which strain our elected officials, government agencies, and social aspirations in this country, as well as in Puerto Rico."[12] Under Puerto Rico, US and international law, the act was categorized as terrorism due to the way it was executed, the organization's stated motives and the trauma suffered by the Wells Fargo security guards. The criminal charges filed against the participants in this robbery include: Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Robbery of Federally Insured Bank Funds, Armed Robbery, and Conspiracy to Interfere With Commerce By Robbery.
  • On 1998 Los Macheteros claimed responsibility for an explosion at a small power station in the San Juan metropolitan area. The explosion caused limited power outages.[13]
  • On September 23, 2005, the anniversary of "el Grito de Lares" ("The Cry of Lares") members of the FBI San Juan field office surrounded a modest home in the outskirts of the town of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, where Ojeda Ríos was believed to be hiding. The FBI claims that it was performing surveillance of the area because of reports that Ojeda Ríos had been seen in the home. In their press release, the FBI stated their surveillance team was detected, and proceeded to serving an arrest warrant against Ojeda Ríos. The FBI claims that as the agents approached the home, shots were fired from inside and outside the house wounding an FBI agent. The FBI alleges it then returned fire fatally wounding Ojeda Ríos. A subsequent autopsy of Ojeda's body determined that he bled to death over the course of several hours.[1][10] The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission started an investigation of the incident shortly after Ojeda Rios' death. Their report is due out on December 31, 2009. [14]

Terrorism vs. national liberation

Supporters of independence for Puerto Rico argue that the U.S. favored the establishment of the present Commonwealth status to create a perpetual consumer base for U.S. and foreign products and services. Foreign products and services are redirected to Puerto Rico and other "unincorporated" lands of the United States to satisfy a portion of foreign trade agreements, while allowing domestic products and services a greater "home" market share. The majority of the Puerto Rican electorate has favored a continuation or enhancement of the present Commonwealth status (50%), or statehood (46%).[15] However, the "ELA soberano" or "Sovereign Commonwealth", a principle based on the development of Puerto Rico's political status based on autonomy has been approved by the Popular Democratic Party, one of the two major parties, for more than a decade after winning the 1998 referendum under the fifth column.

According to federal and international law, as well as the proposed definition of terrorism under the United Nations' Office on Drugs and Crime, Los Macheteros is considered a terrorist organization due to the methods they have employed to further their agenda.[16] Beginning in the 1960s, the FBI infiltrated Puerto Rico's free press and political circles in order to monitor and disrupt efforts related to the independence movement. This operation was part of COINTELPRO.[17]

Another argument presented by the independence movement claims that the Macheteros continue a clandestine rebellion that Puerto Ricans such as Pedro Albizu Campos and the nationalists have fought against United States policies on the island. It is known, for example, that Los Macheteros deliberately chose September 12 for their White Eagle assault on the Wells Fargo depot, because September 12 was the birthday of Puerto Rican Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos.[18] Recently the focus has been on the use of Culebra and Vieques bombing range; the disproportionate number of military bases on the Island (compared to states in the Union); the proportion of deaths within independence and nationalist leaders, including the alleged experimentation with radiation on Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos while he was incarcerated; alleged cancer treatments administered by Cornelius P. Rhoads, during which he admitted killing Puerto Rican patients and injecting cancer cells to others, working as part of a medical investigation conducted in San Juan's Presbyterian Hospital for the Rockefeller Institute and the secret testing of Agent Orange on Puerto Rican soil.[19][20]

Documentary

A 80-minute documentary film about the Macheteros was released in 2008. Starring Not4Prophet (Ricanstruction), as Pedro Taíno, and Isaach De Bankolé (Casino Royale), as French journalist Jean Dumont, the film takes place in both New York City and Puerto Rico. Other actors Kelvin Fernández (first starring role) and Dylcia Pagán. The film was the winner of the 2008 South Africa International Film Festival, 2009 Swansea Film Festival, 2009 Heart of England Film Festival, 2009 International Film Festival Thailand, and the 2009 International Film Festival Ireland.[21]

Notable group members

Name Remarks
Antonio Camacho Negrón Paroled by former President Bill Clinton, arrested for violation of parole terms on 2006[22]
Filiberto Ojeda Ríos Co-founder

Former leader (killed by FBI on September 23, 2005)
Former FBI's Most Wanted Fugitive
Juan Enrique Segarra Palmer Co-founder
Orlando González Claudio Co-founder
Victor Manuel Gerena FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitive

Inside man for the Wells Fargo depot robbery

.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Filiberto Ojeda Ríos (obituary), The Economist, September 29, 2005. Accessed April 5, 2006. (The Economist Printed edition: October 1, 2005; Vol. 377; Issue 8446; Page 82.)
  2. ^ "Congressional testimony of Louis J. Freeh". 2001-05-10. http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress01/freeh051001.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-05.  
  3. ^ a b "Macheteros Aun Activos". 2006-12-07. http://www.laprensafl.com/site/articles.php?article_id=4836&osCsid=. Retrieved 2007-05-23.  
  4. ^ Héctor Andres Negroni (1992). Historia Militar de Puerto Rico. Spain: Ediciones Siruela. ISBN 84-7844-138-7.  
  5. ^ Iriarte, Luis (2005-12-17). "El combate del Asomante - 12 de agosto de 1898" (in Spanish). http://home.coqui.net/sarrasin/combate.asomante.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-05.  
  6. ^ a b Edgardo Pratts (2006) (in Spanish). De Coamo a la Trinchera del Asomante (1st ed.). Puerto Rico: Fundación Educativa Idelfonso Pratts. ISBN 09762185569.  
  7. ^ a b Armando André (1987). "20 años de terrorismo en Puerto Rico" (in Spanish). http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/puertorico/macheteros1.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-24.  
  8. ^ [http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/gro/hgo60935.000/hgo60935_0.htm Clemency for the FALN: A Flawed Decision? Hearing before the Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives. 106th Congress, First Session. September 21, 1999. Serial No. 106–44.]Retrieved November 24, 2009.
  9. ^ a b (1) "Radicals Say Attack on Bus Is Retaliation for 3 Deaths; Involved in Vieques Protest", New York Times, December 4, 1979. p. A11.
    Clyde Haberman, "Terrorists in Puerto Rico Ambush Navy Bus, Killing 2 and Injuring 10", New York Times, December 4, 1979. p. A1, A10.
    The Boricua Popular Army and two other groups—the Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution and Armed Forces of Popular Resistance—jointly took responsibility for the attacks.
  10. ^ a b A review of the September 2005 shooting incident involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Filiberto Ojeda RíosPDF (2.43 MiB), U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. Accessed August 14, 2006.
  11. ^ "8 Military Jets Destroyed At Air Base in Puerto Rico". The New York Times/Reuters. November 2009. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04E0D6173BF931A25752C0A967948260&n=Top%2fNews%2fU%2eS%2e%2fU%2eS%2e%20States%2c%20Territories%20and%20Possessions%2fPuerto%20Rico.  
  12. ^ Spanish - El robo de $7 millones de la Wells Fargo ("The robbery of $7 million from Wells Fargo") Automated Spanish -> English translation of article via Google translator
  13. ^ Juanita Colombani (1998-04-07). "Investigan la explosion como un acto terrorista". El Nuevo Dia. http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/puertorico/macheteros-4-7-98.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-24.  
  14. ^ Ojeda Ríos Report Expected by December 31. By Eva Llorens Vélez. Puerto Rico Daily Sun. November 27, 2009. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  15. ^ Manuel Álvarez Rivera. "Elections in Puerto Rico". http://electionspuertorico.org/home_en.html. Retrieved 2007-05-22.  
  16. ^ "United Nations Definitions of Terrorism". http://hanskoechler.com/koechler-un-law-terrorism.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-08.  
  17. ^ More can be read on the web site FBI files on Puerto Ricans, created with the assistance of Congressman José Serrano and the City University of New York's Center for Puerto Rican Studies.
  18. ^ The Disenchanted Island: Puerto Rico and the United States in the Twentieth Century, by Ronald Fernandez. Praeger Publishers, Westport, CT. Page 247. ISBN 0-275-95226-6 and 0-275-95227-4. Retrieved August 3, 2009.
  19. ^ "Chronological History of the life of Pedro Albizu Campos". http://www.rso.cornell.edu/prsa/FamousPR/donpedroevents.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-22.  
  20. ^ "The Eviromental encyclopedia: History of the Agent Orange". http://www.bookrags.com/research/agent-orange-enve-01/. Retrieved 2007-05-22.  
  21. ^ 2009 Machetero Film
  22. ^ "FBI rearrests Antonio Camacho". http://www.themilitant.com/2006/7014/701403.html. Retrieved 2007-05-23.  

External links

Puerto Rican independence movement
Flag of Puerto Rico (Light blue).svg
Indigenous resistance
Political organizations
Militant organizations
Boricua Popular Army (Macheteros) · Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (Puerto Rico) ·
19th century activists
Nationalists
20th century activists
Events
Symbols
LARESFLAG2.jpg · Flag of Puerto Rico (Light blue).svg · Flag of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party.svg · Pip Flag.png · MacheteroFlag.jpg
Media







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