INTERPOL Finds FARC Computers Material Authentic and Extensive

By Jonathan Winer

We don't yet know what else is in the contents of the FARC computers that INTERPOL has now verified to be exactly as represented by the Colombian government -- the true and untampered contents of FARC computers seized by Colombia following its March 1 cross-border attack on a FARC camp in Ecuador.

But we know that the sheer volume of what is contained in those computers, which included three Toshiba laptops, one external hard drive, one external hard disk, and three USB "thumbnail drives" is remarkably extensive.

As set forth by the INTERPOL team,

"Without revealing the content of the data, INTERPOL can state the following with regard to the user files contained in the eight seized FARC computer exhibits:
􀁸 109 document files were found on more than one of the exhibits
􀁸 452 spreadsheets
􀁸 7,989 e-mail addresses
􀁸 10,537 multimedia files (sound and video)
􀁸 22,481 web pages
􀁸 37,872 written documents (such as Word documents, PDF files, text format documents)
􀁸 210,888 images
Of the above, 983 files were found to be encrypted."

The report then includes images from the computer of FARC leader Raul Reyes that show him studiously working at what appears to be the very same computer, in the jungle, clothed in camouflage and authentic jungle hat.

The nearly 8000 e-mail addresses could be interesting window into FARC's political as well as operational contacts, at least of the terrorist group's contacts that are online. We have yet to see the bulk of the text documents, but presumably, there are now more than one government that has them. It is of substantial, international public importance that whatever documentation of support for FARC they may contain undertaken by officials of any country be disclosed as soon as possible, now that INTERPOL has confirmed their authenticity.

Hugo Chavez continues to state that the documents are fake and that Colombia is using them as a pretext for war. He also has recently compared German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Hitler. Eventually, he and the region are going to have deal with their reality, and the implications of it.

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