public safety

Suspect yet to be identified

A suspected FARC member being treated for gunshot wounds has not yet been interviewed.

Authorities have not yet questioned or charged the alleged Colombian guerrilla who was wounded in a clash with units of the National Border Service in Manené, the Darién, last week.

Assistant prosecutor Luis Martínez said that he is waiting for the detained person to recover from an operation that was performed Friday at Hospital Santo Tomás.

José Ayú Prado, head of the Directorate of Judicial Investigation, said that the identity of the suspect will have to be established through fingerprints, since he was not carrying identification when he was taken into custody. Until then, police are not saying whether the person is a member of the guerrilla organization FARC or not.

Colombian officials have said that the clash involved FARC members, and that their intelligence agencies have intercepted radio messages that indicate the organization is looking to expand its presence in Panama bcause of military pressure in Colombia.

Einar Cruz, the head of the emergency room at Santo Tomás, said the wounded suspect is out of danger and conscious, but has not spoken with anyone.

José Vicente Pachar, director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, confirmed that, so far, there is no evidence that anyone else was killed in the confrontation, which took place Thursday between an estimated 10 guerrillas and an unknown number of police officers.