Colombian investigators spent years tracking a shooter known for striking from a distance and vanishing before authorities could pinpoint his position. That hunt ended this past Friday on a public street in Ocaña, a town in the northeastern department of Norte de Santander, where police arrested Dairo Ferizzola Rojas, known by the aliases “Firu” and “Firulais.”
Authorities say Ferizzola belongs to the Camilo Torres Restrepo Front of the ELN (National Liberation Army), Colombia’s oldest active leftist guerrilla group, which has continued armed operations despite past peace talks. Investigators link him to three killings committed between June 2025 and February 2026, and to an alleged plan to assassinate President Abelardo De La Espriella using the same sniper tactics.
The arrest was carried out by Colombia’s criminal investigation police (Dijín) with support from police intelligence (Dipol), after authorities learned Ferizzola was preparing to flee the region. He was wanted on charges of aggravated homicide and illegal weapons possession, and was carrying a 5.56-caliber rifle cartridge when caught.
One case that helped build the file against him occurred in June 2025 in Río de Oro, Cesar, when officers Herney Ospino Lasso and José Daniel Pedraza González were killed by long-range gunfire near a police station. Investigators traced a payment of roughly 2 million pesos (about $500) allegedly ordered by an ELN commander known as “El Zorro.” Social media videos posted by Ferizzola’s partner reportedly helped pinpoint his location.
Read the full investigation at El Tiempo.
Source: El rastro que llevó hasta ‘Firulais’, francotirador del Eln señalado de planear un atentado contra De La Espriella (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: Israel Defense Forces.