Colombia: Betancourt, 3 Americans rescued

One freed hostage, Keith Stansell, has family in Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota

By SIBYLLA BRODZINSKY, CASEY WOODS AND FRANCES ROBLES

Miami Herald Staff Writers

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Colombia's four most famous hostages -- three American defense contractors and a former presidential candidate -- were rescued from the jungle after years in the hands of leftists rebels, the Colombian defense ministry announced Wednesday.

Authorities also captured a top FARC leader, "alias César," who was in charge of the hostages, and another guerrilla.

In describing "Operation Checkmate," Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said Colombian military intelligence managed to infiltrate the top hierarchy of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and arrange for a transfer of hostages purportedly to be handed over to Alfonso Cano, the rebel group's maximum leader.

The government mole arranged for the hostages to be brought together from three different locations to one camp, and then taken to a helicopter the FARC believed belonged to a friendly aid group that would take the hostages to Cano.

Instead, it was a military helicopter piloted by intelligence officers, who whisked a total of 15 hostages to freedom.

Free are American defense contractors Keith Stansell, Thomas Howes and Marc Gonsalves; former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt; and 11 soldiers and police officers.

"They are free, safe and sound," Santos said at a press conference.

Betancourt was kidnapped in 2002 on the campaign trail, instantly becoming a in both Colombia and France, where she also has citizenship. Her campaign manager was released from captivity earlier this year.

A year after Betancourt's kidnapping, the Americans also were taken by FARC guerrillas. The Americans were working for a U.S. defense contractor corporation, Northrop Grumman, taking drug crop surveillance photos when their plane crashed into Colombia's jungle, which at the time was overrun by leftist rebels. The three were taken captive by the FARC and held as pawns for a prisoner swap.

Betancourt has been in captivity for six and a half years; the Americans five and a half.

Stansell's father and stepmother, Gene and Lynne Stansell, live in Lakewood Ranch.

"We're very happy with the news," Lynne Stansell said Wednesday evening at their home. Federal officials alerted them of their son's release, but asked them not to talk with the media until officials debriefed them.

Stansell's overjoyed family began converging Wednesday afternoon at the Sarasota home where two of his children live with his ex-wife, Kelly Coady.

"This is unbelievable," Coady, 42, said as multiple waiting calls beeped though on her cellphone. "I'm the happiest person on the planet right now."

Coady said she had just managed to reach her teenage son Kyle, who had been at the beach when the news of his father's rescue broke.

A U.S Army representative contacted the family and would be meeting with them Wednesday evening to discuss the next steps to reunification with Stansell. The representative said the family would need to go to San Antonio, but didn't give more details, Coady said.