Supreme Court of Justice hostage crisis
Encyclopedia
The Supreme Court of Justice Hostage Crisis was a 1993 attack in which five gunmen from a group calling itself the "Death Commando" group took over the Costa Rica
n Supreme Court in San José
on April 26 and held 19 supreme court judge
s (magistrates) and five administrative employees as hostage
s.
Four days later, after lengthy negotiations, the 24 hostages were freed and the members of the "Death Commando" were taken to an airport
where they were going to take an airplane
that would take them to Guatemala
. The hostage-takers were captured in a spectacular raid before they were able to board the aircraft.
While early suspicions had existed that they were Colombia
n guerrillas, it transpired that they were actually Costa Ricans and that one of them wanted money for a liver transplant.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
n Supreme Court in San José
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
on April 26 and held 19 supreme court judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s (magistrates) and five administrative employees as hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s.
Four days later, after lengthy negotiations, the 24 hostages were freed and the members of the "Death Commando" were taken to an airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
where they were going to take an airplane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
that would take them to Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. The hostage-takers were captured in a spectacular raid before they were able to board the aircraft.
While early suspicions had existed that they were Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n guerrillas, it transpired that they were actually Costa Ricans and that one of them wanted money for a liver transplant.