Boricua Popular Army
The Ejército Popular Boricua ("Boricua Popular/People's Army"), also known as Los Macheteros ("The Machete Wielders"), is a clandestine militant and insurgent organization based in Puerto Rico, with cells in the broader US and other nations. It campaigns for, and supports, the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States.
| Ejército Popular Boricua – Macheteros | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Filiberto Ojeda Ríos † Comandante Guasábara Juan Enrique Segarra-Palmer Orlando González Claudio |
| Dates of operation | 1976– |
| Active regions | Puerto Rico, United States |
| Ideology | Puerto Rican independence |
| Size | Unknown |
| Opponents | United States |
| Battles and wars | Independence movement in Puerto Rico |
During their first decade of existence, they had an average of two actions per year. The group claimed responsibility for the 1978 bombing of a small power station in the San Juan area, the 1979 retaliation attacks against the United States armed forces personnel, the 1981 Muñiz Air National Guard Base attack, and a 1983 Wells Fargo bank robbery.
Boricua Popular Army was led primarily by former FBI fugitive Filiberto Ojeda Ríos until he was killed by the FBI in 2005. Ojeda Rios' killing was termed "an illegal killing" by the Government of Puerto Rico's Comisión de Derechos Civiles (Civil Rights Commission) after a seven-year investigation and a 227-page report issued on 22 September 2011.