In 2003, three American civilians crash-landed in the mountainous Colombian jungle and were held hostage for the next five and a half years by one of the world’s most notorious terrorist organizations. Friday, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell recounted their harrowing tale of survival, brotherhood and rescue at St. Mary’s University School of Law as part of the Center for Terrorism Law’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

The men were prisoners of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC, a Colombian terrorist and Marxist rebel organization, and have written a book about their plight, “Out of Captivity: Surviving 1, 967 Days in the Colombian Jungle.”

The event was held in the Sarita Kenedy East Law Library Law Alumni Room in front of a standing room only crowd of both law students and community members.

Founded in 2003, St. Mary’s Center for Terrorism Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit academic institution dedicated to the study of current and potential legal issues related to terrorism.

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