Held Hostage in Colombia

Overview

On February 12, 2003 a Pentagon-owned Cessna went down in the jungle of southern Colombia. At the crash site, guerillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Colombia's largest insurgent group, surrounded the men as they emerged from the plane, and later shot and killed an American pilot and a Colombian crewmember. The three other Americans were captured as "prisoners of war" and are still being held hostage. With unprecedented access, Colombian journalist Jorge Enrique Botero obtained this exclusive interview with the three men in a jungle prison camp on July 25, 2003. Seen for the first time since their abduction, Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell, flanked by guerrilla soldiers with automatic weapons, reveal what daily life is like in captivity and express their fears that they will never leave Colombia alive.