Abelardo de la Espriella announced the arrest of Dairo Ferizzola Rojas—alias “Firu” or “Firulais”—an alleged sniper for the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group who, according to De la Espriella, “participated in planning an attack against my life.” He detailed that “intelligence indicates he had been designated by the General Staff of the Northeastern War Front to participate in planning and executing an armed action against me.”
De la Espriella also stated that “Firulais”—a member of the ELN’s Camilo Torres Restrepo Front who specialized in sniper operations—”is subject to an arrest warrant for the aggravated homicide of a protected person and for the manufacture, trafficking, or carrying of firearms.” His arrest took place on Thursday, September 3, in Ocaña, Norte de Santander, “through intelligence work and the DIJIN [police investigative unit], in coordination with Operation Esparta.”
According to De la Espriella, the alleged guerrilla fighter “is also accused of being responsible for the killing of three police officers in Río de Oro, Cesar, and of participating in attacks involving snipers, explosive-laden drones, and explosive devices against our security forces.
” It is worth noting that patrol officers José Pedraza and Herney Ospino were killed on June 19, 2025, near the Río de Oro police station “while conducting background checks,” the institution reported at the time.
The other officer killed by an ELN sniper was Auxiliary Luis Pabón, a 19-year-old who had lost his life days earlier in Norte de Santander. Regarding those killings, it had been reported in July 2025 that the alleged sniper responsible—identified as alias “Bryan,” a purported member of the Efraín Pabón Pabón Front—had already been captured. (Read also: Here is the De la Espriella administration’s security strategy: command, drones, and combat)
