Today is Monday, July 13th, 2020.

On this day in 2003, French Intelligence Operatives

aborted a mission to rescue French-Columbian politician

Ingrid Bedincore from FARC rebels in Colombia. The failed operation

resulted in an international political scandal, but it did nothing to help Ingrid Bedancore

who would remain captive for another five years. Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original.

Today we're covering the messy ineffective 2003 French rescue mission aimed at recovering political prisoner Ingrid Betancore.

Now let's go back to July 13th, 2003.

Pierre-Arri Guignard stood in the Manaus-Brazil airfield looking up at the imposing C-130 Hercules.

Not a particularly triumphant moment.

He'd hoped to be standing here with more than the 11 intelligence agents

bustling around him, readying for the return to France.

He'd hoped to be standing here with Ingrid Betancore.

Betancore had been kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia over a year ago.

These Marxist rebels known as FARC,

nominally stood for the redistribution of Colombian land,

but they were now better known for their kidnappings

and ongoing violent conflict with both

Columbia's drug cartels and government. Betancore was a Colombian politician who

like the FARC wanted massive political change.

She called her political party the Oxygen Green Party, and she was determined to clean up

the corruption and violence that plagued her country.

...