19 High Court Justices Seized in Costa Rica

Gunmen from an obscure guerrilla group calling itself the “Commando of Death” took 19 of Costa Rica’s 22 Supreme Court magistrates hostage on Monday.

Officials said at least five heavily armed assailants apparently broke into the Central American country’s Supreme Court building from the basement and seized the magistrates, who were holding a meeting.

gunmen held 20 hostages in all, including Supreme Court President Edgar Cervantes and the court secretary.

Court spokesman Fabian Barrantes said the previously unknown group’s demands remained unclear, but press reports linked the attackers to Colombian cocaine barons.

The reports said the gunmen wanted the release of Colombian drug trafficker Carlos Urquijo, who was captured in Costa Rica last September as part of an international anti-drug operation.

Congresswoman Nury Rodriguez of the ruling Social Christian Unity party and other legislators identified the “Commando of Death” as part of the Medellin cartel.

Radio Monumental described Urquijo as cartel treasurer and said he was being held with three other cartel members including Armando Mola, also a cartel official.

Costa Rican Interior Minister Luis Fishman told a news conference that police had spoken by telephone to the kidnapers, who asked for a television, a radio and for the water, telephone and electricity not to be cut off.

Police cordoned off the residential area around the court.

A group of Nicaraguan guerrillas last month took over the Nicaraguan embassy in Costa Rica, kidnaping Ambassador Alfonso Robelo and 23 others. The siege ended after the Nicaraguan government paid $250,000 to the gunmen, who freed the hostages unharmed and fled to Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

The gunmen had said they took the embassy to protest Nicaragua’s policy of letting Sandinistas retain control of the police and army.