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Peru's Fujimori denies any rebels were executed
April 26, 1997
Web posted at: 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT)LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, in an interview Friday with CNN Spanish, denied local media reports that Tupac Amaru rebels overcome inside the Japanese ambassador's residence were killed execution-style during the daring Tuesday raid.
"All died in combat," Fujimori said, and reports that some terrorists were shot in the back were "completely false."
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All 14 rebels who had been holding 72 dignitaries hostage since December 17 were killed when an elite Peruvian military unit stormed the compound. One hostage and two soldiers also died. Fujimori said the confrontation inside the compound was much more intense than planners had anticipated.
"Our target was to free the hostages in six minutes," he said. "But it took a total of 16. That was because the fighting was so strong."
The president said he ordered the commandos to rescue the captives, because the government feared they were in increasing danger with the passage of time, and was frustrated with negotiations.
"We had exhausted all peaceful measures," he said, "and finally had to undertake this rescue operation to avoid a massacre."
Fujimori said he was pleased with the outcome of the operation, which he described as "clean," and compared it to the U.S. decision in 1993 to use force to end the lengthy standoff between federal agents and the Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas.
Hostage, police, military and intelligence service sources have said that two male rebels were captured alive and shot to death one after the other, according to Reuters.
"The order was to leave no one alive. For us, the instruction was to leave no prisoners," an army commando who took part in the assault was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Lima news reports also quoted a former hostage, a senior government official, as saying that a male rebel threw down his weapon and shouted "Help me! I give up!" before commandos entered the house.
The whereabouts of most of the bodies of the slain rebels remained a mystery Friday, although the two leaders -- Nestor Cerpa and Roli Rojas -- were buried Thursday night by Peruvian soldiers. The bodies were not released to their families and there were no funerals.
Jorge San Roman, vice minister of energy and mines, who was among the hostages freed, denied reports that any of the terrorists tried to surrender to government forces.
He told CNN Friday that they had picked up their weapons, and were fighting back.
"That is why two people of the Peruvian military died," he said.
Peruvian forces did what they had to do under the circumstances, he said. "I think the army had no choice. I think it's very difficult at this moment to make choices."
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