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00:00:00Transcribed by ESO, translated by —
00:00:30A peanut heart was excruciating.
00:01:00Every time I breathed, there was pain.
00:01:09I was very aware we were in Pablo Escobar's area.
00:01:15The nightmare scenario.
00:01:19What happens if Escobar's men get me?
00:01:25But the main thing was the pain.
00:01:40What was I going to do?
00:01:42Think about your morale.
00:01:46The Catholic prayers came out.
00:01:49I said give me the strength to die with an element of honour.
00:01:54I lay there thinking, how the fuck did I get myself here?
00:02:09This was the work of the Medi and the drug clerk's help.
00:02:28A bomb has exploded in the capital of Colombia, Bogotá, killing 35 people and injuring around 200.
00:02:40The explosion devastated the headquarters of the country's security police.
00:02:57The main suspects are Colombia's drug cartels.
00:03:01But the most prominent cartel bosses have escaped.
00:03:04One Pablo Escobar just minutes the police say before they raided his hiding place.
00:03:09On Sunday, presidential elections take place.
00:03:13Three candidates have been assassinated already.
00:03:16The cause, the unending drugs rule.
00:03:20Central to the conflict is Pablo Escobar, leader of the Medellin cartel and Colombia's most feared criminal.
00:03:27Cocaine dealing transformed him into one of the world's richest men.
00:03:32When you look at Pablo Escobar and the size and scope of his organization,
00:03:42he's the largest cocaine manufacturer and distributor ever in the history of the world.
00:03:49Responsible for as much as 80% of the cocaine in the world.
00:03:53Think of that, 80%.
00:03:55Initially, there was an alliance between the two cartels, Medellin and Cali.
00:04:02Cali Cartel controlled cocaine distribution to New York.
00:04:10Pablo Escobar controlled the Miami area.
00:04:13Then Cali started trying to get into Miami.
00:04:17Pablo was trying to get into the New York markets.
00:04:21The war started and it was so vicious that the Cali Cartel tried to bomb Pablo Escobar's building.
00:04:38They placed a car bomb at the base of that apartment where Pablo Escobar's family was based.
00:04:49The bomb detonated, everybody was fine, but the retribution that Pablo Escobar took on the cartel was vicious.
00:04:58My error in the cartel.
00:05:08Yo fui escolta de Pablo.
00:05:11Y fui una persona que estuvo en la guerra completa.
00:05:16En la guerra que se inició con el cartel de Cali.
00:05:20Los Rodriguez Cartel de Cali.
00:05:25TenÃan varias droguerÃas acá en Colombia.
00:05:30Desvolamos todas esas droguerÃas.
00:05:33Esa era una forma de torturar.
00:05:35Desafortunadamente, fue una guerra muy cruel.
00:05:37Desafortunadamente, fue una margadora.
00:05:39Isabel en Esp MARCUS.
00:05:42I was invited to a meeting with the Cali cartel, Gilberto Rodriguez told me in two minutes the
00:06:10reason you're here is we have a terrible enemy, Pablo Escobar, and either we get rid of him
00:06:19or he gets rid of all our family.
00:06:23What they wanted from me was to put them in contact with some of the ex-SAS forces that
00:06:34were retired in England, to which I had access.
00:06:40In 1989, I received a telephone call from Jorge Salcedo Cabrera and I said, what is it?
00:06:49He said, we want you to work for some businessmen in Cali.
00:06:56The mission was to eliminate Pablo Escobar from the Cali cartel's lives, kill Pablo Escobar.
00:07:06And I knew just the person for that role.
00:07:10You don't get asked to assassinate Pablo Escobar unless you've got the right experience.
00:07:18I went to Angola because I wanted to get into action.
00:07:27Angola divided and a war with itself has collapsed.
00:07:34For us, the Cubans or the Russians have no right to kill Angolans.
00:07:40We have to get aid from anyone who will help us to defend ourselves.
00:07:56There have been a total of about 200 British mercenaries involved in the war, were paid to fight against the MPLA,
00:08:05the movement which won the civil war and which now runs Angola.
00:08:09We interviewed Peter McAleese, commander of all the FNLA mercenaries in Northern Angola.
00:08:16What I want is the public to hear the other side of the operation, see the good side and see the bad side and to let them judge for themselves.
00:08:24I was young, I was fit, I was aggressive.
00:08:31Although I dislike communism, it was never a personal thing with me.
00:08:34It's just that they supplied most of the enemy at that time.
00:08:39The communist plan for Africa was to go across the central belt and then start proceeding north and south.
00:08:46The west backed the FNLA and the eastern block backed the MPLA.
00:08:55I wouldn't have wished it on my worst enemy. It was a nightmare.
00:08:59The police was in a state of breakdown.
00:09:02And there was a lot of money in arms changing hands.
00:09:06Why shouldn't we fight against communism, whether it be for money or for a cause, we believe it.
00:09:14I first met Dave Tompkins in Angola.
00:09:17He'd never been a regular soldier.
00:09:19But what I did notice about him, he was extremely brave.
00:09:25I've had a whole host of jobs in the security business.
00:09:31Defence equipment.
00:09:34And I was the guy who would get you anything, anywhere.
00:09:40Bombs, missiles, artillery rounds in the millions and millions of dollars worth.
00:09:48So Iran, Iraq, PLO, you name it, I shipped it.
00:09:53He liked to sport a large medallion he had round his neck.
00:10:00A bit suave, a bit debonair.
00:10:03He was always well quaffured, you know.
00:10:08My first impressions of Peter were, I was impressed with him.
00:10:13I was impressed with the way he handled himself, moved.
00:10:16He wasn't flash.
00:10:21We just gelled as soon as we met.
00:10:29Dave said, are you interested in a job in Columbia?
00:10:33And I accepted.
00:10:34I could not resist the challenge.
00:10:39Peter and I flew from London to Cali.
00:10:43We were met by Jorge Salcedo.
00:10:56We called him George.
00:10:58He also had a code name that he liked to use called Ricardo.
00:11:02How are you?
00:11:03Very well.
00:11:04Nice to see you.
00:11:05Can I introduce you?
00:11:06Peter.
00:11:07Pleasure is mine.
00:11:08Compare me.
00:11:09I could tell that Jorge was definitely somebody within the system.
00:11:14Because he walked us straight through customs, immigration.
00:11:18And there was no hold up.
00:11:20Asports.
00:11:21What so ever.
00:11:22I don't know.
00:11:25I felt that the mission had been sanctioned at the highest level.
00:11:31At that time I knew everybody.
00:11:32I had no problems in getting them through customs.
00:11:36It was immediate.
00:11:38And that power came from the Cali cartel.
00:11:43I had a video camera and videoed everything.
00:11:51They took us to the outskirts of Cali to a private sports centre that was owned by the cartel.
00:12:01I wanted to play.
00:12:02Top of the range.
00:12:03Thank you very much.
00:12:05And in a rest area there by the pool, having lunch was the four Cali cartel leaders.
00:12:12And that's where I had my negotiation.
00:12:15We represent a group of highly skilled soldiers, the best in the world.
00:12:19I charge per month, per person, plus bonuses, plus expenses, plus all found, everything.
00:12:30Money was not an object for them.
00:12:32They had billions.
00:12:33Peter is our main trainer and he was with the SAS.
00:12:38And then it just went a bit quiet.
00:12:41And it became a bit more intense.
00:12:44It was almost like it had been orchestrated.
00:12:46And one of them leaned over.
00:12:51And he said to me.
00:12:53Can you kill Pablo Escobar?
00:12:54The moral of killing Escobar, I didn't have any conscience about it.
00:13:09How can you have moral?
00:13:10When the American government's got a million dollars on his head, the Colombian government's got quite a bit on his head.
00:13:18100 Millions of Pesos.
00:13:21Pablo Escobar Gaviria, El Padrino.
00:13:23The guy was a threat to the government, the way our life in Colombia.
00:13:27Although, he was kind to a lot of people in MedellÃn.
00:13:31But the fact is, he upset the balance of power within Colombia.
00:13:36And he had to go.
00:13:38Think about the heartaches that he caused by some of the people that he killed.
00:13:42He put a bomb on a commercial airliner because he thought there was going to be a presidential candidate on that plane.
00:13:55And the presidential candidate wasn't even on there.
00:13:58So 110 people died because Pablo wanted to impose his will on somebody else.
00:14:05He can't really moralize me, someone like that.
00:14:09I've never looked upon it as murder.
00:14:13I've looked upon it as a target.
00:14:15I've looked upon it as, you know, you can see, well, that's a cop-out.
00:14:18It's not a cop-out, it's genuinely how I feel.
00:14:21Thou shalt not kill, you're in the wrong business.
00:14:24Because that's what it's about.
00:14:25The actual act of killing someone, when you're a professional soldier, and you're on a mission,
00:14:42is partly what you have chosen to do in your life.
00:14:45I was a bit nervous the first time I killed anybody.
00:14:53I was in the SES, I was posted out to Aden in 1967.
00:15:00That area is now called southern Yemen.
00:15:03We were in a camp called Habilane, and he was constantly being mortared and shot at by dissident rebels.
00:15:15Our task was to go out and try and get rid of these men.
00:15:19We moved up to this area where we thought there was a group of shepherds there.
00:15:24As I looked at them, something clicked in my mind and told me,
00:15:29these guys are not shepherds.
00:15:31It was pretty dark.
00:15:33I spoke to one, he stood up, and he shot Dave Haley, who was the troop sergeant.
00:15:38And I immediately turned around and I just blew to him.
00:15:40I fired it around into his stomach.
00:15:44He stood up, and he straightened up, and I put another five into his chest,
00:15:49and he slid down the wall.
00:15:55I felt really that I'd proved myself as a soldier.
00:15:59I felt proud that I hadn't failed in battle.
00:16:03In the eyes of some, it may be morally wrong.
00:16:05But then again, that was a profession I chose.
00:16:09THE FIRST NIGHT THAT WAS COLD
00:16:13The first night that I was caught
00:16:38And I found the can of beans in my escape bag
00:16:46And I found some hexamine blocks
00:16:49Which the British Army used for cooking
00:16:51And when the can inflates again
00:17:00You know the food's cooked
00:17:02It was beautiful
00:17:04There was a fear
00:17:16That Escobar could send people
00:17:20To kill me
00:17:21On the hill there
00:17:31Lying alone
00:17:33I had some vivid dreams
00:17:36And his dream was
00:17:39Angola
00:17:40There was a guy
00:17:42Went over a bush
00:17:43And somebody shot him
00:17:45In the back of the head
00:17:46And his brains had come out
00:17:48And he was still holding the bush
00:17:50Man's inhumanity to man
00:17:56The Cali cartel was very confident that they could kill Escobar
00:18:16When he had one of his usual parties
00:18:21In his ranch
00:18:22So the details were to be carried by the British
00:18:27We will target Hacienda Napoli
00:18:34We'll wait for him to come there
00:18:37And you'll have to tell us when he is
00:18:39You'll have to put your spies into action
00:18:41The police and the military
00:18:43And they said, good idea
00:18:45I wanted to do a fleet recce
00:18:51The reason being
00:18:52I wanted to know what the ground looked like
00:18:55Because that is where we were going to strike
00:18:58Hacienda Napoli was Pablo Escobar's pride and joy
00:19:11He loved that finca
00:19:13It was about 10,000 acres
00:19:16He had a zoo
00:19:17Where he had all the exotic animals of the world in there
00:19:22I remember the elephants, the drafts, the famous hippos
00:19:25A museum where he had Al Capone's car in
00:19:30And he bought all kinds of things relevant to gangsters
00:19:34He built an airstrip
00:19:38Where his drug trafficker friends would come in to negotiate
00:19:42He had sicarios guarding that finca
00:19:46When we were in the air
00:19:49I looked down at Hacienda Napoli's
00:19:52And then I realised
00:19:54That it was a lot easier
00:19:56Than I had actually thought in the beginning
00:19:59Because I could see the ground
00:20:01It was tailor made for a complete assault team
00:20:05I had to think about medivac
00:20:08Should anybody be shot?
00:20:10How do we get them out?
00:20:12There was three little airfields there
00:20:14That I was thinking about
00:20:14How we could medivac from there
00:20:19We knew where the guards were
00:20:21We could see the guards on the gate
00:20:23And in various places
00:20:24The main thing is
00:20:26I was concentrating on
00:20:28Was the shape of the houses
00:20:30How the houses were laid out
00:20:31And how the stables were laid out
00:20:34And the best place to attack it from
00:20:36And above all
00:20:39I looked for an area where the assault team would land
00:20:42It was pleasing to the eye of a military person
00:20:47And I said
00:20:49This one's a gore
00:20:50I felt excitement at the challenge
00:20:57Excitement at doing something
00:21:01That nobody else could achieve
00:21:04Everything in my military career
00:21:09Had led me
00:21:10To believe
00:21:12That this was my day
00:21:14We needed a number of men
00:21:22Preferably special force types
00:21:24Who were capable
00:21:26And mentally prepared
00:21:28To take on this mission
00:21:29How many men are we going to use
00:21:32We decided on 12
00:21:34We can only go for the top guys
00:21:37Billy, it's Peter
00:21:38Lots of experience
00:21:40Combat proven
00:21:41And who had the big balls to do this
00:21:44It's Dave
00:21:45Dave Tompkins
00:21:46The selection process I had for the men
00:21:49Was based on
00:21:50The fact that some of them
00:21:52Had served with me before
00:21:53Nerds
00:21:54Others were recommended by other people
00:21:56Yeah
00:21:57I knew I could kill anyone
00:21:58And to be fair
00:21:59None of them said no
00:22:01They just said, well come
00:22:02Alex Lennox, how are you?
00:22:04In the beginning
00:22:05Dave Tompkins called me
00:22:07Very well my friend
00:22:09Been a long time
00:22:10Alex had been parachute regiment
00:22:123-2 battalion
00:22:14South African army
00:22:15Willison
00:22:16I've got a very good job opportunity for you
00:22:18I was excited
00:22:18Good money
00:22:19Very good money
00:22:21I said, where is it?
00:22:23Colombia
00:22:23I'm in
00:22:24Basically come through Panama
00:22:26Do not come straight to Colombia
00:22:27You know the drill
00:22:28He looks like a Peruvian mountain goat
00:22:40Doesn't he?
00:22:41They came in via
00:22:42Circuitous routes
00:22:44Germany
00:22:45Argentina
00:22:46It was security protocol
00:22:51Delivered personally, Dave
00:22:53We, with George
00:22:55Met them at the airport
00:22:57And George again
00:22:58Secured them all through the passport and immigration
00:23:01That's it, Jock
00:23:05You look super
00:23:05Miami, please
00:23:06Straight out of Miami, please
00:23:08What's going on?
00:23:11What's going on?
00:23:12Yeah
00:23:13What is your black whiskey and type?
00:23:15By this time George
00:23:17Had acquired an apartment
00:23:19Very spacious
00:23:20Very policial
00:23:22And everybody came there
00:23:25And we settled them in
00:23:26Brilliant
00:23:28Fabulous
00:23:29Well furnished
00:23:30There was only one way
00:23:32Into it
00:23:33That was by elevator
00:23:35It had armed security
00:23:38They supplied us weapons
00:23:40So we all had weapons
00:23:43In case we got a surprise visit from anybody
00:23:46Do you want to take a puppy right here?
00:23:48Today is a nice day
00:23:50The son is Shane in Cali
00:23:52Here is a missionary
00:23:58To donate a few dollars to the poor
00:24:00And that could be me
00:24:02Because I'm fun
00:24:03We were on $5,000 a month
00:24:19Plus expenses
00:24:21Plus food
00:24:22But that was just a retainer
00:24:24I was on $1,000 a day
00:24:29The next morning I got the guys together
00:24:38Gave them a quick brief
00:24:39At this stage
00:24:41We still hadn't told them
00:24:43That the target was Pablo Escobar
00:24:45We didn't feel the needed to know at that time
00:24:48And I emphasised
00:24:50Do not do any drinking
00:24:53Whilst you're here
00:24:54The most beautiful woman
00:25:02In Latin America
00:25:03And in Cali
00:25:05I mean it's just unbelievable
00:25:07And we've got 12 of us
00:25:10Who's beginning to seduce us
00:25:12You know
00:25:12It really was
00:25:13Oh everybody loves Cali
00:25:15We love Cali
00:25:16And we did
00:25:16Guys spent a week or so
00:25:21Running around
00:25:22The clubs
00:25:23And social life
00:25:24And doing what guys do
00:25:26Making a nuisance of himself
00:25:28I went for a walk through Cali
00:25:31And I passed by a pub
00:25:33That was fairly open
00:25:35I went
00:25:37What the fuck
00:25:39Two of my team were there
00:25:41They were drunk
00:25:44Anywhere else
00:25:48It would have been a funny situation
00:25:49But we could not afford
00:25:51To bring attention to ourself
00:25:53So I sent them back to the flat
00:25:56This is the riffraff's bedroom
00:25:58The next day
00:25:59We stopped a week's wages off them
00:26:01A thousand dollars off you
00:26:03A thousand dollars off you
00:26:04I said also
00:26:05You will do exactly as I tell you
00:26:07So I went to the chemist
00:26:10And I got some stuff called
00:26:12Antibus
00:26:12And if you drink alcohol
00:26:15You start vomiting
00:26:16So I made them take
00:26:18Antibus tablets
00:26:19Cali is a small city
00:26:26Not used to seeing
00:26:27A lot of foreigners
00:26:29And the presence
00:26:30Was getting very noticeable
00:26:31In the city
00:26:32So I decided
00:26:34It's time to leave town
00:26:35We were 8,000 feet up
00:26:52It was cold
00:26:54Shivering cold
00:26:58I was thinking about survival
00:27:03Because I could have died
00:27:05And it gives you time
00:27:09To mull over
00:27:10Certain mistakes that you've made
00:27:12I was soul searching
00:27:16I thought about a number of things
00:27:22My marriage wasn't going too well
00:27:25Everything went through my head
00:27:29You know, all my childhood
00:27:30Mother, father
00:27:32I just wished there'd been a better husband
00:27:36And a better father to my kids
00:27:37It was hurting a lot
00:27:42And I felt my head
00:27:44Was going to burst open
00:27:45I was trained
00:27:53To kill
00:27:55By the army
00:27:57But the fighting instinct
00:27:59Came from
00:28:01No mean city
00:28:02Glasgow
00:28:03I was brought up in Ridvery
00:28:14Right next to Berlini prison
00:28:16My upbringing in Glasgow
00:28:21It was hard and tough
00:28:25But when you lived where I lived
00:28:27With the people I lived with
00:28:29It's natural
00:28:31I never saw my father
00:28:37I just heard about him
00:28:40My dad was
00:28:46An extremely hard person
00:28:48He was feared by a lot of people
00:28:51He was quite a tough man
00:28:56Quite a hardy old man
00:28:58He'd get himself into some scrapes
00:29:02And I remember as a child
00:29:04Seeing him
00:29:05You know, there was
00:29:06A whole gang attacked him
00:29:08And he had about 46 stitches
00:29:12In his head
00:29:13He was also absent
00:29:18And I remember
00:29:19My mother said to me
00:29:21Your dad's home
00:29:22And I remember distinctly
00:29:25He had a uniform on
00:29:26I walked up to him
00:29:29And I said
00:29:29Hey mister
00:29:30Are you my daddy?
00:29:32Because I'd never seen him
00:29:34And if you look up here
00:29:36In the top
00:29:38Right hand
00:29:39Window of Berlini prison
00:29:41My father used to
00:29:43Be incarcerated there
00:29:45And he'd put
00:29:47Little things in the window
00:29:49Different colours
00:29:51To tell my mother
00:29:51You know, he either loved her
00:29:53He was depressed
00:29:54He was fairly happy
00:29:55Things were going well
00:29:57Mummy would be upset
00:30:01You know, at times
00:30:02Because
00:30:03My father didn't know
00:30:05How to
00:30:05Sort of
00:30:07Be with him
00:30:08That's the only way
00:30:10I can put it
00:30:11He never ever told any
00:30:13As he loved us anyway
00:30:14You know
00:30:14I seen my dad fight
00:30:21On quite a few occasions
00:30:22He got himself involved
00:30:24In a fight
00:30:25I was very young
00:30:27At the time
00:30:28And
00:30:29My father had been
00:30:30Gethroned
00:30:31As the local
00:30:32Hardman
00:30:33With a guy called
00:30:34John Dorns
00:30:35And old Miles
00:30:37Who was my grandfather
00:30:38Said we're not having this
00:30:40You know
00:30:41The family's been toppled
00:30:42So we put my father
00:30:44On a training regime
00:30:46For the comeback fight
00:30:48The exchange blows
00:30:52And it was fairly heated
00:30:53They were really
00:30:54Both really gone for it
00:30:56It looked like something
00:30:58You know
00:30:59Out of a movie
00:31:00My father took a couple of smacks
00:31:02But he bested John Dorns
00:31:04And eventually dropped him
00:31:06And my father used to beat me
00:31:16He just hit me once
00:31:18And all I saw was a load of stars
00:31:21He broke my nose
00:31:23It made me think
00:31:27That I could never
00:31:28Let anybody beat me
00:31:30I'd prefer to leave it alone
00:31:34If you could
00:31:35I think Peter wanted him
00:31:42To say to him
00:31:43You know
00:31:44I'm really proud of you
00:31:45But I don't think
00:31:47My father could say that
00:31:49I don't think
00:31:51He was able
00:31:51To say that
00:31:52It made me a fighter
00:31:56I found myself
00:31:58Becoming more
00:31:58And more aggressive
00:32:00Because I was moving up
00:32:02The food chain
00:32:03Of the hard men
00:32:04I was trying to find something
00:32:10That I could channel
00:32:11My aggression into
00:32:12I had to get out of Glasgow
00:32:15Because Glasgow
00:32:18Wasn't good for me
00:32:20Skinny one
00:32:38Very nice
00:32:41I love them shorts mate
00:32:42Yeah that is Don
00:32:45Chewing a fucking orange
00:32:46My god you're ugly close up
00:32:48You want somebody to push him
00:32:52We needed a place to train
00:32:58And we needed weapons
00:32:59Obviously we can't go around
00:33:01Shooting in the streets
00:33:02And eventually they moved us
00:33:06To the place called Pennsylvania
00:33:08That was a beautiful ranch
00:33:14That the Cali cartel had
00:33:17That's Dave
00:33:18Don't you stay in the exercise
00:33:19After a hard day
00:33:22I'm having to relax
00:33:24We felt relaxed
00:33:27Because you know
00:33:28That there's money behind you
00:33:30A hundred acres
00:33:32Of mountaintop retreat
00:33:35Chinese gardens
00:33:37Full scale bowling alley
00:33:40Swimming pool
00:33:42Sauna
00:33:42Weight room
00:33:44Stables
00:33:45Horses
00:33:47Quad bikes
00:33:50Guard dog perimeters
00:33:53Guarded by his security guards
00:33:56At the front gate
00:33:58Evidence
00:33:59A cook
00:34:00Martha
00:34:01Servants
00:34:03It had an antenna for the television
00:34:06Bigger than my house
00:34:07You know
00:34:08They could get a TV channel anywhere
00:34:10You want to watch EastEnders
00:34:12It was out of this world
00:34:15It was truly palatial
00:34:17The most important thing
00:34:20About being up there
00:34:21There were no pumps
00:34:22You know
00:34:24The drinkers suddenly realised
00:34:25It wasn't on anymore
00:34:27And the guys started
00:34:29Taking it serious then
00:34:30And we started to train
00:34:31Go
00:34:32Come on boys
00:34:34Come on
00:34:35We needed to be fit
00:34:36An unfit soldier
00:34:37Is a dangerous soldier
00:34:39And we had plenty of that
00:34:41But not enough fitness
00:34:42So that really challenged the guys
00:34:443, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1
00:34:46Up
00:34:47Come on
00:34:47Go
00:34:48Go
00:34:48Go
00:34:48We'd do basic parapet
00:34:51Natural fitness
00:34:5210 pushups there
00:34:54Go
00:34:5410
00:34:54And we used to run around
00:34:56The running track
00:34:57Every morning at 6 o'clock
00:35:00Bloody thing
00:35:02We were told there was weapons arriving
00:35:07And to be ready for them
00:35:09The weapons were obtained in the United States
00:35:13They were smuggled into the country
00:35:16And we're getting all excited
00:35:19We're psyched up to fuck
00:35:20Waiting on these things coming
00:35:22And then it was smuggled up
00:35:24And the back of a farmer's pickup truck
00:35:27That folded up
00:35:28And had a false bottom in the bottom
00:35:30And all the weapons were in there
00:35:31And that's when the guys were like kids let loose in a sweet shop
00:35:37Ah, fuck me now, here we go
00:35:40There was a couple of interdynamics which is a small submachine gun
00:35:48We had M-16s
00:35:51AR-15s
00:35:52Anti-tank rockets
00:35:54Spaz-12 shotguns
00:35:57Machine pistols
00:35:58Uzis
00:35:59Zulu grenades
00:36:0366mm anti-tank laws rockets
00:36:0860 kilos of C-4 explosives
00:36:14Anti-personnel mines
00:36:16Whatever we wanted
00:36:18It was like fucking Christmas
00:36:24The whole thing has come together
00:36:27Everything that we needed to assault
00:36:28Weapons-wise was there
00:36:31Now the weapons have arrived
00:36:38It's become real, isn't it?
00:36:40And the training went into full swing
00:36:43I could see the mentality of the men switching
00:36:48They were starting to come together
00:36:49They were identifying with our team leaders
00:36:51The team leaders identified with me
00:36:54They suddenly realised
00:36:56That they were going to close with the enemy and kill them
00:36:59Everything just seemed to be slipping into place
00:37:02That you get with a unit
00:37:04That's just started off
00:37:06And everybody became a part of the local unit that we had
00:37:11The second day
00:37:29I just lay there
00:37:31Shivering cold
00:37:33And I was going through things, right?
00:37:39Have I got food?
00:37:40The water is taken care of
00:37:41And I was planning
00:37:43In my mind
00:37:45If help didn't come
00:37:47How I could help myself
00:37:49Because I had to escape money on me
00:37:52And I formulated a plan
00:37:56And I felt it would take me something like
00:37:58Eight days to get better
00:38:00But did I have enough food
00:38:03To sustain me for eight days?
00:38:05Did I have enough warmth?
00:38:07Did I have enough medical kit
00:38:09To keep myself going
00:38:10To try and kill the pain?
00:38:13I didn't
00:38:30The day I left the British Army
00:38:31I just went to one side
00:38:33And I started crying
00:38:34It was the worst thing
00:38:37I ever did in my life
00:38:40I drifted from job to job
00:38:45I just wasn't fitting in
00:38:48And I just felt lost
00:38:52And my aggression
00:38:56Became worse
00:38:58My idea of a good Friday night
00:39:02You go in the pub
00:39:04Get pissed
00:39:05And have a good fight
00:39:07It got to the stage of my life
00:39:11Where I felt that
00:39:14Disputes
00:39:15Could be solved by violence
00:39:18Irene was the girl I got involved with
00:39:22It developed into arguments
00:39:25And one day I hit her a slap
00:39:29In the back of the head
00:39:30And before I knew who I was
00:39:33To use classical terminology
00:39:35I was getting hobbled off by the police
00:39:38I was charged with assault
00:39:41And I got myself locked up
00:39:44In Gloucester Prison
00:39:45I don't blame that lassie
00:39:50For what happened
00:39:52I blame myself
00:39:53I'm extremely sorry
00:39:57If I could meet the judge
00:40:01Who sent me to prison
00:40:04I'd walk up and shake his fucking hand
00:40:06I was doing a lot of reflection
00:40:18Where was I going to go from here
00:40:19What experience I had from the special forces
00:40:27I wanted to use it
00:40:28And test myself even further than going
00:40:30Fortunately there was plenty of places to go
00:40:33If you were seeking combat
00:40:35I was a mercenary in Angola
00:40:39I was a mercenary in the Rhodesian army
00:40:44I was a mercenary in the South African army
00:40:50In Rhodesia
00:40:55Every time we went out
00:40:57We had some form of contact with the enemy
00:40:59There was a thing called a black book
00:41:07My name was in it
00:41:09It said
00:41:09A good hard soldier
00:41:12And that's how I consider myself
00:41:14The discipline
00:41:24That we are talking about
00:41:25As we are going to fight back
00:41:27That is the fucking difference
00:41:28Do you understand that?
00:41:29Honestly guys
00:41:30There is nobody who can touch us
00:41:32Together as a team
00:41:33We can fucking take on
00:41:34Four times the number
00:41:36I assure you we can do it
00:41:37Everybody in here has got a bit of trigger time
00:41:39On to their belt
00:41:40Which is more than the army's
00:41:41Keep it together
00:41:43Keep it together
00:41:44And realise that they cannot fucking do us
00:41:46And I mean it
00:41:47I am not going to eat this in my own mind
00:41:49And if we can't convince ourselves
00:41:51That this is the case
00:41:52We'd be as well to hang
00:41:53This is hang
00:41:55Just had lunch
00:41:58Roy and myself
00:41:59I had a tomato
00:42:01Roy had a carrot
00:42:03It's terrible here
00:42:08And I'm doing it for the children
00:42:09Terry Tagney came to see me
00:42:13And he sees my bottle's gone
00:42:16I'm shit scared
00:42:17Whatever it is
00:42:18That you're doing
00:42:20I'm fucking
00:42:20I just want to go home
00:42:22They had no idea
00:42:23Who the target was
00:42:25We didn't tell them
00:42:26It was Pablo
00:42:27In case
00:42:28For security reasons
00:42:30I'm out
00:42:31I'm sorry mate
00:42:32I said to myself
00:42:33If his bottle's gone
00:42:35And we let him go
00:42:37Who's going to do it next
00:42:39I'll tell the boys
00:42:41That you've
00:42:42Problems at home
00:42:43With the wife
00:42:44And you have to go home
00:42:45And the guy's turned around
00:42:46And says
00:42:47He's a fucking liar
00:42:48His bottle's gone
00:42:51Thanks mate
00:42:53No worries
00:42:53The truth was
00:42:55He wasn't up to it
00:42:56He wanted to get out
00:42:58And he was a security risk
00:43:00That's what he was
00:43:01And he should never
00:43:02Have been let home
00:43:03Until it finished
00:43:04So gentlemen
00:43:06You're probably wondering
00:43:08What you're doing here
00:43:09Who the target is
00:43:11Some of you might have
00:43:12Guessed it right
00:43:13Some of you wrong
00:43:13In the end
00:43:14We called them together
00:43:15And said right
00:43:16You're speculating
00:43:17On who the target is
00:43:19Or what we're here for
00:43:21Don't speculate anymore
00:43:22This is the target
00:43:24His name is
00:43:25Pablo Escobar
00:43:27The head of the
00:43:29Medellin drug cartel
00:43:30Great
00:43:31How are we going to do him
00:43:33At the last meeting
00:43:40I had with the cartel bosses
00:43:42Chepi Londono
00:43:44Who was one of the four
00:43:46Came to me
00:43:47And he said
00:43:48David
00:43:49Bring me back
00:43:52Escobar's head
00:43:53And I'll give you
00:43:54A million dollars for it
00:43:56I said
00:43:57Yeah alright
00:43:58I said to Dave
00:44:01I'll cut his head off
00:44:02Once he's dead
00:44:03Give you in a basket
00:44:04And you can get
00:44:05The million dollars
00:44:06I'll take a hundred grand
00:44:07And there would have been
00:44:09Proof that he was dead
00:44:10If I brought him
00:44:11His head
00:44:12Wouldn't it
00:44:12I had a look at the situation
00:44:25And I said to myself
00:44:26I think
00:44:28It's time to do
00:44:29Another flight
00:44:30Over the route
00:44:31Into the target area
00:44:33There were 80 men on the premises
00:44:46There were 80 men on the premises
00:44:58We assumed
00:45:00There were 40 on duty
00:45:01And 40 resting
00:45:03The ammunition that we're carrying
00:45:17Was 60 rounds per man
00:45:19And it was submachine guns
00:45:21Which didn't have the range
00:45:22Of what we had
00:45:23It was a missile of rigidity
00:45:27The weapon that we used
00:45:29Was AR-15
00:45:31Within the house
00:45:32We used AR-15
00:45:34Every one of the enemy
00:45:37There should be three men for it
00:45:38So we made up
00:45:39That numbers
00:45:40We made up
00:45:41Ammunition
00:45:41The capacity of this armament
00:45:44Was enough
00:45:45To fucking kill
00:45:46Two thousand
00:45:48Three thousand guys
00:45:49Tactical wise
00:45:54We had the advantage
00:45:55They were on to lose
00:45:57Or not us
00:45:58Because we had the firepower
00:45:59We were too prepared
00:46:05And disciplined
00:46:06We were able to give life
00:46:09For Pablo
00:46:10For us
00:46:11In that time
00:46:12Pablo
00:46:13Was a god for us
00:46:15One of the things
00:46:19The fleet was
00:46:19Taking something
00:46:21From an idea
00:46:22Turning it into a plan
00:46:24And implementing a plan
00:46:26The aim
00:46:28Is to close with the enemy
00:46:30And kill them
00:46:31If you fail to plan
00:46:34You plan to fail
00:46:35New evidence has emerged
00:46:39That British mercenaries
00:46:40Are training gunmen
00:46:42For the drug cartels
00:46:43In Colombia
00:46:43One mercenary
00:46:45Has produced a videotape
00:46:46Which he says
00:46:47Shows former British
00:46:48Australian soldiers
00:46:49At a secret
00:46:50Columbian training camp
00:46:51This man
00:46:52Terry Tagney
00:46:53Sold NBC the pictures
00:46:55Terry immediately
00:46:56Get back to Australia
00:46:57The first thing he did
00:46:59Was sell a story
00:47:00On what was happening
00:47:01In Colombia
00:47:02He jeopardised the mission
00:47:04He jeopardised the men
00:47:07Who were his comrades
00:47:08There
00:47:08But fortunately enough
00:47:09Didn't mention Pablo Escobar
00:47:12Because at that time
00:47:13He didn't know
00:47:14I don't know
00:47:15What British mercenary activity
00:47:16There may be in Colombia
00:47:17Though I've seen the rumours
00:47:18Like everybody else
00:47:19If there is any
00:47:20Then I thoroughly deplore it
00:47:22Why would the CIA
00:47:23Or FBI
00:47:25Or anything
00:47:26Want to stop it
00:47:27When he was a target
00:47:29For the United States
00:47:30Anyway
00:47:31When we heard about this plan
00:47:35Of course we wanted him dead
00:47:36So any effort
00:47:38To kill Pablo Escobar
00:47:40Was of course welcomed
00:47:43We wanted it to happen
00:47:44Have you got it Dave?
00:47:46What?
00:47:47Have you got it?
00:47:48Yeah
00:47:48I think they've adopted
00:47:50A suck it and see policy
00:47:52They're disposable
00:47:54If they achieve it
00:47:55Fine
00:47:56It's achieved an objective
00:47:58That suits us all
00:47:59If they don't achieve it
00:48:01We've lost nothing
00:48:03It was a need
00:48:06That they should maintain
00:48:08Secretively in the area
00:48:10So one of the solutions
00:48:13Was to move the whole group
00:48:14To the middle of the jungle
00:48:16I woke up
00:48:35Stole no sign
00:48:37Of any rescuer
00:48:39The pain at this stage
00:48:43It hadn't subsided
00:48:44But I was learning to
00:48:47Live with it a bit more
00:48:49And I had some of the beans
00:48:54That I had left
00:48:55I
00:48:57Just prepared myself
00:49:00To lie and wait
00:49:02Until
00:49:03Some form of help came
00:49:05The other reason I did that
00:49:08Was to try
00:49:10And
00:49:11Get my body to
00:49:13Repair itself
00:49:16Have an element of repair
00:49:17Should I have to try
00:49:19And walk out
00:49:19There was a fear
00:49:25That
00:49:26Escobar's guys
00:49:28Could come and get me
00:49:30I was very aware
00:49:33Of what could happen to me
00:49:35I had decided
00:49:39If they came
00:49:41I was going to take them
00:49:44With me
00:49:45They moved us to a place
00:50:04They called
00:50:04La Guagua
00:50:05God knows what that means
00:50:08The Jaguar or something
00:50:09The trip was quite an amazing trip
00:50:15We went by a Dakota aircraft
00:50:18It really was phenomenal
00:50:21Give us a smile sir
00:50:30Bring it home for you
00:50:37Billy
00:50:38If I could
00:50:38But I'm not allowed
00:50:41Police won't let me
00:50:43The Colombian police
00:50:45No the British police
00:50:47The Colombian police won't let me
00:50:49This is the police
00:50:52Finally
00:50:56They took us to the training area
00:50:57It was obviously
00:50:59A cartel
00:51:00Stopping ground
00:51:01Moving cocaine
00:51:03Stuff like that
00:51:04The jungle accommodation
00:51:14Was just a long hut
00:51:16And it held us all
00:51:18There's number 25 plus
00:51:19We set up camp
00:51:22And settled in there
00:51:24To begin
00:51:25Another phase of training
00:51:26Here's David M60
00:51:28How goes Alex?
00:51:32It was just in the middle of nowhere
00:51:33There he is
00:51:35He's finally got it
00:51:36It wasn't guerrilla territory
00:51:38That we knew of
00:51:39We had no beds
00:51:41No bedding
00:51:42It was on the side of a river
00:51:45Which meant
00:51:46There was no trouble
00:51:47Bathing
00:51:48Keeping yourself clean
00:51:49What a sight
00:51:51And we just
00:51:53Get on with the routine there
00:51:55The helicopters
00:51:58One was parked behind us
00:52:00Two were
00:52:02Over the other side of the river
00:52:04I'm about to
00:52:06Change the colour of this
00:52:08United States
00:52:09American chocolate
00:52:10That has made its way here
00:52:12It had
00:52:12Landed all on its own
00:52:14And we're going to
00:52:16Respray it
00:52:17Nice Colombian police grip
00:52:19Historically
00:52:25Pablo gave orders
00:52:27To his guys
00:52:28Never fire on the military
00:52:30Or the police
00:52:31We had a tactical advantage
00:52:36Approach the house low level
00:52:39And their spotters would have said
00:52:41It's police and military
00:52:43Because we've got military colours
00:52:46And we're in police logo
00:52:47Police the national
00:52:49All over our helicopter
00:52:51We go into the grounds
00:52:54Without being fired from
00:52:56Before somebody realised
00:52:58Fuck me
00:52:58It's not the army
00:52:59The ship would hit the fan then
00:53:02Six o'clock in the morning
00:53:07To get up
00:53:08It was still dark
00:53:09Stop firing
00:53:10We did tactical training
00:53:11There was nobody around
00:53:13For many, many miles
00:53:15We could fire weapons
00:53:19Fire rockets
00:53:21Drop bombs
00:53:24When we were in the jungle
00:53:30We had to do some serious
00:53:32Serious training
00:53:33Just in case
00:53:35Something went wrong
00:53:36For the actual mission
00:53:37And they had to make
00:53:39Their own way back
00:53:39They were getting fitter
00:53:42Every day they were training together
00:53:44So you were getting that team spirit
00:53:46The eight million dollar men
00:53:48It takes a team
00:53:50To do the job
00:53:51And the team
00:53:52Gelled very, very well
00:53:54For the operation
00:53:55We were out there
00:54:01Practising
00:54:02On a river bed
00:54:04That we had
00:54:04Which was roughly
00:54:06The same size as the target
00:54:07The men had yellow patches
00:54:11Sewed onto the top
00:54:12Of their balaclavas
00:54:13So as I could identify
00:54:15Their own guys
00:54:16From the enemy
00:54:17We were given
00:54:21A very competent
00:54:22Colombian pilot
00:54:23Who flew
00:54:24For the cartel
00:54:25On numerous operations
00:54:27One was called Pablo
00:54:31And the other one
00:54:32Was called Tiger
00:54:33And Tiger
00:54:34Had an awful lot
00:54:35Of police experience
00:54:36Tiger
00:54:38He was a bit of a dare devil
00:54:41He would zoom around
00:54:42Through the river banks
00:54:44And clip the treetops
00:54:46And clip the treetops
00:54:46He seemed to want to
00:54:47Get as close to them
00:54:49As possible
00:54:49We just covered everything
00:54:56From A to Z
00:54:57The morale was sky high
00:55:06What I was trying to do
00:55:14In my mind
00:55:15Was give those men
00:55:16The best chance
00:55:17They had
00:55:17Of leaving that target alive
00:55:19As we're going around
00:55:22The fire group
00:55:24Will land
00:55:24At one end
00:55:26While this one
00:55:27Is still laying fire
00:55:28To cover this
00:55:29I prefer to keep
00:55:30One leg on the ground
00:55:31All the time
00:55:32It might be a bit
00:55:32We'd get together
00:55:33We sat down at the table
00:55:35What we call
00:55:37A Chinese parliament
00:55:38The men had an awful lot
00:55:39Of input
00:55:40In that they were
00:55:41Dealing with their lives
00:55:42This team
00:55:43Will then land
00:55:45Under the cover
00:55:46Of these guys
00:55:46So there's no chance
00:55:47Of hopefully
00:55:48Anybody shooting
00:55:49Because it'll be quite close
00:55:49Everybody felt
00:55:51They'd contributed
00:55:51We put the final plan together
00:55:54The ground
00:55:55The situation
00:55:56The mission
00:55:57The execution
00:55:57The admin
00:55:58And the log
00:55:59And that was it
00:56:00After that
00:56:00It's go
00:56:01When you talk
00:56:07About a mission
00:56:07You don't make it
00:56:09Long winded
00:56:09You just say
00:56:11Ground
00:56:11Situation
00:56:12Mission
00:56:12Our mission is
00:56:14To kill
00:56:15Pablo Escobar
00:56:17The operation
00:56:18Will be carried out
00:56:19In three phases
00:56:19One
00:56:20The flight
00:56:22From the jungle
00:56:22To the target
00:56:24I'm landing
00:56:28All of a sudden
00:56:29Helicopters come over
00:56:30Start machines
00:56:31I'm going in the place
00:56:32By the time
00:56:35I dropped
00:56:3640 kilos
00:56:37Of explosive
00:56:38Around the place
00:56:39That had been
00:56:39Shell shot
00:56:40One helicopter
00:56:46Has got the assault
00:56:47Group in
00:56:48Which are going
00:56:48To land first
00:56:50Would have been
00:56:52Twelve guys
00:56:53On the ground
00:56:53Beat a Mac
00:56:55Up there
00:56:56With his jimpy
00:56:56In the gunship
00:56:58So we had
00:56:58Some air cover
00:56:59They would fan out
00:57:01One group
00:57:04Is the cover group
00:57:05Fire in the house
00:57:07Phase two
00:57:11The rest would start
00:57:12Clearing the premises
00:57:13What on the way through
00:57:14Action on the target
00:57:17You engage the target
00:57:21And you put enough rounds
00:57:23To put them down
00:57:24Ba-ba-ba-ba
00:57:24The assault team's aim
00:57:28Was to get into the house
00:57:29Women and children
00:57:31Were off the menu
00:57:32We had the area
00:57:34Color coded
00:57:35White was the front
00:57:36Black was the back
00:57:37And we numbered it
00:57:40One, two, three sections
00:57:42We knew which part of the house
00:57:45He resided in
00:57:46Which was in black one
00:57:48Clear
00:57:50Once the house clearance team
00:57:52Were in section one
00:57:54We'd direct our fire
00:57:56To section two
00:57:57Ahead of them
00:57:58So we're clearing the way
00:58:00For them
00:58:00To move through the house
00:58:02To find Escobar
00:58:03Phase three
00:58:05With door from the target
00:58:07At the right
00:58:08Target is down
00:58:09Target is down
00:58:10And we're taking Pablo's body
00:58:12To the helicopter
00:58:13Right, we've hacked his head off
00:58:17So we've only got a bit of him
00:58:18To carry
00:58:19Because we're a bit overcrowded
00:58:21On the choppers
00:58:22And eventually
00:58:24They'd have flown us back
00:58:25To Cali
00:58:26And hopefully
00:58:27We'd all live
00:58:28Forever
00:58:29A day
00:58:30And
00:58:30Gone home
00:58:43Everything was ready to go
00:58:54The men were ready to go
00:58:55And it seemed to turn into a waiting game
00:58:57And then
00:59:00A spanner landed in the works
00:59:02A Sunday Times reporter
00:59:04By the name of James Adams
00:59:05Had picked up
00:59:06The actual mission
00:59:07And was threatening to print
00:59:09A story on it
00:59:10He was an ex-spook
00:59:14Or a spook at the time
00:59:15He'd accessed
00:59:16Flight information
00:59:18And the mere fact
00:59:20That he got it
00:59:20Shows that he
00:59:21Wasn't just your average journalist
00:59:24He contacted someone
00:59:27Who knew Dave
00:59:28And we agreed to meet him
00:59:30In Panama
00:59:30We've got a story
00:59:34Very good story
00:59:35And now
00:59:36I want you to
00:59:37Contribute your side
00:59:39At the time I was
00:59:40The defence correspondent
00:59:42Of the London Sunday Times
00:59:44You don't have a story
00:59:46There is a story
00:59:46I was told
00:59:48By somebody
00:59:49In the US intelligence community
00:59:51That there were a group
00:59:53Of mercenaries
00:59:54Planning to kill
00:59:55Pablo Escobar
00:59:56And they were led
00:59:58By this Brit
00:59:59Called Dave Tompkins
01:00:01And that was kind of
01:00:03It
01:00:03So the rest of it
01:00:05From my perspective
01:00:06Was all about bluff
01:00:08And we're ready
01:00:10To publish it
01:00:11Nice and bold
01:00:12If you print that
01:00:13You will jeopardise
01:00:15Some lives
01:00:17That are here now
01:00:18What are you doing now?
01:00:20I don't mind your own
01:00:21Fucking business
01:00:21Then the question was
01:00:23Well
01:00:23How are we going to
01:00:25Deal with this?
01:00:26And Dave
01:00:26Clearly
01:00:27Wanted the operation
01:00:30To go ahead
01:00:30Fair enough
01:00:31I didn't care
01:00:33Whether he killed
01:00:33Pablo Escobar
01:00:34Or not
01:00:35So there was a bargain
01:00:37To be struck
01:00:38Between
01:00:39What he wanted
01:00:40And what I wanted
01:00:42If you don't print
01:00:43Until we tell you to
01:00:44We will give you
01:00:45Exclusive rights
01:00:46To the whole story
01:00:47What we said
01:00:48Let us do the operation
01:00:50And he
01:00:51Could have the story
01:00:53At the end of it
01:00:53The exclusive
01:00:54I think we can work with this
01:00:55And then I said to him
01:00:57I have a good idea
01:00:58I will put you on the helicopter
01:01:01And fly you into the heart
01:01:02Of the battle
01:01:02He declined
01:01:03I told the cartel
01:01:07That we had
01:01:08A security breach
01:01:10That could
01:01:11Embarrass us
01:01:13They said
01:01:14Right
01:01:14Get him over here
01:01:15And we'll kill him
01:01:16Or something
01:01:16And I said
01:01:18No that can't happen
01:01:19I knew nothing
01:01:20About that at all
01:01:20And I think Dave
01:01:22Is a wonderful human being
01:01:23When the radio
01:01:36Telephoned the Cali cartel
01:01:38We said to them
01:01:39We had better get a move on
01:01:41With this operation
01:01:41Otherwise it's not going to come off
01:01:43Due to the world press
01:01:46Getting on to
01:01:47What is actually happening here
01:01:49If Pablo knows we're coming
01:01:52We've got a problem
01:01:54The radio burst into life
01:02:12The message that came out of it
01:02:14In Spanish
01:02:14Pablo is there now
01:02:18Round the swimming pool
01:02:19Having a meeting
01:02:21Go now
01:02:22He's there
01:02:23Go, go
01:02:24Bali
01:02:24Bali
01:02:25Phoenix is a go
01:02:26Phoenix is a go
01:02:28Behind them in possession
01:02:29We said
01:02:29Let's go for it
01:02:31They were all there
01:02:34Got their kit
01:02:35Boom, boom, boom
01:02:36Check mine
01:02:37I'm out
01:02:37Okay
01:02:38Helicopters
01:02:39Helicopters
01:02:40I was so psyched up
01:02:50People talk about fear
01:02:51Fear was out of the question
01:02:53Because we'd conquered it
01:02:54We'd been training for 11 weeks
01:03:00To go and get this guy
01:03:01And do the business
01:03:03On him
01:03:03The flight was nothing special
01:03:18I smoked a couple of cigarettes
01:03:21Making sure I didn't set light to the bombs
01:03:23We were flying low about 200 feet
01:03:29And there was a reason for this
01:03:30The radar operators
01:03:33Belonging to the military
01:03:35Were on the payroll
01:03:36Of the person
01:03:36That we were about to take out
01:03:38I'm concerned for my safety
01:03:47I just want to do
01:03:48What we're trying to do
01:03:49Get it over with
01:03:51Get the money
01:03:51And go home
01:03:52On the helicopter
01:04:00Pete Donnelly looked at me
01:04:02He shaked his head
01:04:03As if to say
01:04:04This is not good Alex
01:04:06The first time in my life
01:04:08In that helicopter
01:04:10I prayed
01:04:11To a God I never believed in
01:04:13Never spoke to
01:04:14I said these things
01:04:16If you're real
01:04:17Protect us
01:04:22As we were flying towards the target
01:04:28I noticed there was heavy cloud
01:04:30Over the top of the Andes
01:04:31I said to myself
01:04:35Maybe the pilots know
01:04:36What they're doing here
01:04:37They'll lift above the cloud
01:04:39And go over
01:04:40I saw Pete's helicopter
01:04:44Quite regularly
01:04:45But there was a time
01:04:46When we had to split
01:04:47We were heading on
01:04:48For the reef
01:04:49Fuelling
01:04:49Seems a bit choppy man
01:05:04I could see that we were in
01:05:07Some problems
01:05:08That I couldn't see anything
01:05:09So I know the pilot
01:05:10Couldn't see anything either
01:05:12Because we were in a cloud
01:05:13I didn't feel right about it
01:05:19I turned round to Dave
01:05:21And the men
01:05:21I said Dave
01:05:22Get yourself in a crash position
01:05:24I just
01:05:24It was instinct
01:05:25Dave
01:05:26Get in the crash position
01:05:28Get in the crash position
01:05:29Get in the crash position
01:05:29Get in the crash position
01:05:29I turned myself back
01:05:31We hit the trees
01:05:33And the helicopter turned over
01:05:36The blade came through
01:05:38The cab of the helicopter
01:05:40And he started bouncing
01:05:42Through the trees
01:05:43Upside down
01:05:43I'm frightened out of the skin
01:05:48And I want to go
01:05:49And I want to go
01:05:49The pinah hide
01:06:17It was excruciating
01:06:18Every time I breathed
01:06:22There was pain
01:06:24I'm sitting there
01:06:27Waiting to get out of the cloud
01:06:29And I wake up
01:06:30Like from a dream
01:06:32And I'm huddled in the corner
01:06:38Of the helicopter
01:06:39Which is on its side
01:06:41And nobody is in there
01:06:44Bar me
01:06:45As far as I'm concerned
01:06:47I know I'm smothered in claret
01:06:52My head hurts like a bastard
01:06:54And I wanted to put my hand up
01:06:57And all I had pictured in my mind
01:07:00Was my hand was going to go
01:07:01In this fucking hole
01:07:02Into my brain
01:07:03So I didn't touch it
01:07:05And then it clicked
01:07:09The bombs
01:07:10I don't know what damage
01:07:12It's done to the timers
01:07:14When it goes up
01:07:16It would have took
01:07:17Half the mountain with it
01:07:18And I found the
01:07:22Satchel charges
01:07:23Cut all the fuses off
01:07:25Of them
01:07:26So they couldn't go
01:07:27One of them
01:07:27The time pencil
01:07:29Had broken actually
01:07:30So I was very lucky
01:07:32And I fought my way
01:07:39Through breaking branches
01:07:41Anything to get out
01:07:42Of that helicopter
01:07:44I suppose it was
01:07:45Sheer survival panic
01:07:48And I thought
01:07:49Fucking right
01:07:50That's me out
01:07:51Don't worry
01:07:52We're close
01:07:54Peter you alright
01:07:54Then I see Peter
01:07:58And the other two
01:07:59Staggering out of the woods
01:08:02And Peter was hurt
01:08:04Dave Dave Dave
01:08:06I said to Dave
01:08:11Pass me doing a drip
01:08:12I can't move
01:08:14I just drank the drip
01:08:17Squeezed it in my mouth
01:08:18And drank it
01:08:19Find him something warm
01:08:20But there was no pilot
01:08:22Where's Tiger
01:08:24So I got back in the aircraft
01:08:26Look at me Tiger
01:08:30And I called his name Tiger
01:08:32And he mumbled
01:08:34Mi piano
01:08:35Which means my leg
01:08:37He had been hit
01:08:40What I assumed
01:08:41Was the helicopter blade
01:08:42Now I run down his legs
01:08:45And they were still on
01:08:47I'll get you some morphine mate
01:08:48I'll get you some morphine
01:08:49I tried to get a drip
01:08:51In his arm
01:08:52And his veins were flat
01:08:53I couldn't find a vein
01:08:55I went to this arm
01:08:57And it was filleted
01:08:59From the shoulder
01:09:01To his wrist
01:09:02As though a butcher
01:09:03Had opened it up
01:09:05To the bone
01:09:05And there was no blood
01:09:07He was mortally wounded
01:09:11We have crashed
01:09:36We have crashed
01:09:37Pilot's dead
01:09:38Need immediate evac
01:09:40We found out
01:09:41That they had crashed
01:09:42So that became
01:09:45An abort
01:09:47Oh fuck
01:09:49Good luck
01:09:50Good luck
01:09:51Good luck
01:09:51Peter was in a bad way
01:09:55His hand was smashed
01:09:56His ribs were smashed
01:09:57His legs weren't broke
01:09:59And he couldn't do much
01:10:01In fact
01:10:02I took some photographs
01:10:03Of him
01:10:03He sort of collapsed
01:10:04On the deck
01:10:05Flacco had wounds
01:10:12And bits from trees
01:10:14I suppose
01:10:15And glass
01:10:15Mario was fine
01:10:18I had my busted head
01:10:22Which turned out to be
01:10:24A tiny little wound
01:10:26That just decided
01:10:27To bleed a lot
01:10:28When the helicopters
01:10:36Have located us
01:10:37It hovered about
01:10:3860, 80 feet above us
01:10:40But this is
01:10:41Rough, rugged
01:10:43Trees and bushes
01:10:44Everywhere
01:10:45Nowhere to land
01:10:46Come on
01:10:47All right
01:10:48All right
01:10:48Go, go, go, go
01:10:49Go
01:10:50Dave and I decided
01:10:51For them to go down
01:10:53Try and get help
01:10:54And bring someone
01:10:55Back to me
01:10:55To get me out
01:10:56Because I smashed up
01:10:58Fairly badly
01:10:59Got you
01:11:01Got you
01:11:01All right
01:11:03I'm going to get help
01:11:03Son, all right
01:11:04Okay
01:11:04I'll get as quick as I can
01:11:05We wrapped him up
01:11:06We got all the
01:11:08Medical packs
01:11:09Bandages
01:11:10And we packed it
01:11:12Round him
01:11:13So that he could be
01:11:14Having to stay warm
01:11:15Because it was cold up there
01:11:16And when we left
01:11:23I suddenly realised
01:11:24I'd broken a rule
01:11:26Of combat survival
01:11:27One man should have
01:11:30Stayed with me
01:11:30But I just
01:11:32It never dawned him
01:11:34At the time
01:11:34I just said
01:11:34I'll be okay
01:11:35Let's decide
01:11:43What are we going to do
01:11:44First thing
01:11:45Was the concern
01:11:46Of Dave
01:11:47Helicopter
01:11:49Peter
01:11:49And then
01:11:50The modus operandi
01:11:52Is survival
01:11:53In the area
01:11:55Of Pablo Escobar
01:11:56You're trying to push your way through
01:12:25It's thousands
01:12:26It's thousands of years
01:12:26Of overgrown stuff
01:12:28Mario and Flacco
01:12:32Pointed out to me
01:12:34That there was a stream
01:12:36Flowing from the top
01:12:38Of the mountain
01:12:39So they went off
01:12:41To try and find a way
01:12:42Down below
01:12:44And it was getting dark
01:12:49At five o'clock
01:12:50At five o'clock
01:12:50Six o'clock
01:12:51In Colombia
01:12:52It was pitch black
01:12:53I had no sense of time
01:12:57My watch had broken
01:12:58I was judging the day
01:13:01By the amount of light
01:13:03I crawled about
01:13:06I searched for food
01:13:08And I lay there
01:13:12Shivering cold
01:13:14I was frozen to the bone
01:13:23And I could imagine
01:13:24Peter up there
01:13:25Fucking 8,000 foot up
01:13:27Dead body
01:13:28Can't move very well
01:13:30He's a friend
01:13:33A very, very good friend
01:13:34And I care for him
01:13:38Like I care for my son
01:13:40I was never going to leave him
01:13:45You know
01:13:47We'd have moved heaven and earth
01:13:49To get him down that mountain
01:13:51Dead or alive
01:13:54Yes, after that we realized
01:14:09That we had sent to that
01:14:11Atentado
01:14:11That fortunately
01:14:13The helicopter
01:14:14We fell
01:14:14We were surprised
01:14:17Because
01:14:18We believed
01:14:20In people
01:14:21In that moment
01:14:22That morning
01:14:33After I spent the night
01:14:35On the mountain
01:14:36Away from Peter
01:14:38I heard
01:14:39People
01:14:41Coming up
01:14:42Everything in that
01:14:47Triunfo area
01:14:49Is controlled by
01:14:50Escobar anyway
01:14:51If people would have caught me
01:15:10I would have had a terrible
01:15:12Long
01:15:14Drawn out
01:15:15Painful death
01:15:16La orden del patrón
01:15:22Era ser barrido
01:15:23Por todos estos hoteles
01:15:24Y personas extranjeras
01:15:26Que llegaran acá a MedellÃn
01:15:28Sobre todo europeos
01:15:30Y caleños
01:15:32Los estábamos cogiendo
01:15:34Y los estábamos
01:15:34Haciendo una investigación
01:15:36Y si no nos dan
01:15:37Alguna satisfacción
01:15:38Se morÃan
01:15:39Se murió mucha gente
01:15:41Acá en esos hoteles
01:15:41I heard people
01:15:49Thinking it's our guys
01:15:51I called out
01:15:52Eventually we reached the bottom
01:16:01It's day three
01:16:25I woke up
01:16:27At this stage
01:16:29The pain was so bad
01:16:32I started sort of hallucinating
01:16:34You know
01:16:38And seeing things
01:16:40Looking at some of the people
01:16:42Who I'd associated with in life
01:16:44In the early days
01:16:50Of my youth
01:16:52And through to the middle part
01:16:55Of my life
01:16:56I did carry an awful anger
01:16:59Within me
01:17:00There was a bit of guilt
01:17:05I felt a lot of the anger
01:17:08May have come from my father
01:17:09I have an awful lot of regrets
01:17:21And none of them
01:17:24Are on the soldiering side of my life
01:17:27I regret it
01:17:34In the fact that
01:17:35I had a woman who was a good wife
01:17:37She was very supportive of me
01:17:41She followed me along
01:17:43Through thick and thin
01:17:44And I took her loyalty
01:17:48To the wire
01:17:52I'm sorry
01:17:55I wasn't a good father
01:17:59But I do love my kids
01:18:00I'm sorry
01:18:03Due to the way I was
01:18:05My character
01:18:06My violence
01:18:07My aggression
01:18:08I failed at these things
01:18:09A dirty, low-down scumbag of a man
01:18:14I swear
01:18:20God, I swear
01:18:22And being a Catholic
01:18:23I promise
01:18:24I promise God no more
01:18:26I tried to make a deal with God
01:18:28And I said to myself
01:18:31God
01:18:31Get me out of this
01:18:34And I'll always be a good boy afterwards
01:18:38I heard a gunshot
01:18:58But it was in a far distance
01:19:00And then I heard voices
01:19:03And the voices started coming closer
01:19:11And I said
01:19:13I've got to prepare myself
01:19:14For the inevitable
01:19:15And I sat there with my weapon
01:19:18And I said
01:19:19I'll let them get on top of me
01:19:20And I'll take as many as I can with me
01:19:22At the same time
01:19:25I would be killing myself
01:19:27As they came closer
01:19:31And closer
01:19:32And closer
01:19:32I could eventually see
01:19:34The movement
01:19:35One man came
01:19:38And so I shoved a machine gun
01:19:40In his stomach
01:19:41He went amigo, amigo
01:19:49Colonel Ricardo
01:19:50Which was one of the code words
01:19:52That we had
01:19:52I then knew
01:19:55That I was in the hands
01:19:56Of friendly forces
01:19:58And I said
01:20:01We're going to take you down
01:20:02And I was still in a state
01:20:07Of bad repair
01:20:08I said
01:20:09How long will it take?
01:20:11They said
01:20:11Eight hours
01:20:12They chopped down
01:20:23A long
01:20:24Thin tree
01:20:25It was nothing to them
01:20:27They just seemed to do it naturally
01:20:28Lored it down a re-entrant
01:20:31Tied a rope round my shoulders
01:20:34And they slid me down this tree
01:20:37And we moved along
01:20:45And they did that
01:20:46All the time
01:20:48Doing waterfalls
01:20:49Re-entrance
01:20:50I was in immense pain
01:20:54And we kept on
01:21:01And on
01:21:02And on
01:21:03How far is it?
01:21:05Four hours
01:21:05How far is it?
01:21:07Four hours
01:21:08And the pain was just
01:21:10I felt it was killing me
01:21:13There was a mental pain there
01:21:24And it was
01:21:25Right
01:21:27You've done this wrong
01:21:28At this given time
01:21:29You can't put anything right
01:21:31You can only put it right
01:21:33If you keep yourself alive
01:21:35Get yourself out of here
01:21:36And get back to the UK
01:21:37And get back to the UK
01:21:37There was a dark side to my character
01:21:45But
01:21:47I found that
01:21:48An awful lot
01:21:49Of the anger
01:21:50It started subsiding
01:21:51Everything seemed to come to me
01:21:55There was a clarity
01:21:56That I've never known before
01:21:57I think it was starting to bring me to terms
01:22:03With an element of reality
01:22:05I felt a sense of peacefulness
01:22:08And I got to stand up
01:22:10And I got to the bottom
01:22:11Where I had to stand up
01:22:13And walk
01:22:14And every step I took
01:22:21It was just
01:22:22Pain like I've never known in my life
01:22:25But I knew
01:22:28That at least I'd been rescued
01:22:30And I had a chance of staying alive
01:22:33So it perked up morale
01:22:34I flew into Cali
01:22:57I walked into the bathroom
01:23:00In the mirror
01:23:01Every part of my body
01:23:03Was covered in bruises
01:23:04I had four broken ribs
01:23:07In the front
01:23:07Four in the back
01:23:08And there was quite a bit
01:23:10Of internal bruising
01:23:11But not enough to kill me
01:23:14I lay in bed
01:23:16And thanked
01:23:17My higher power
01:23:19That
01:23:20What happened to me
01:23:22I should have been dead
01:23:23And I was still alive
01:23:25Everybody's there
01:23:29To look after the guy next to you
01:23:31Peter was the team leader
01:23:34You know
01:23:34He was an important
01:23:37And integral part
01:23:38Of that operation
01:23:39He's fearless
01:23:41He's brave
01:23:43He's loyal
01:23:44And people
01:23:46Have a great deal
01:23:47Of respect for Peter
01:23:48He is the ultimate
01:23:51Special force soldier
01:23:53There was a disappointment
01:23:57We'd failed
01:23:58You know
01:24:00You can look at it
01:24:01A mountain got in the way
01:24:02But the fact is
01:24:03We hadn't achieved the mission
01:24:05And I knew
01:24:07Even within my heart and soul
01:24:08If we'd have got over that mountain
01:24:11There would have been
01:24:13No Pablo Escobar
01:24:14No Pablo Escobar
01:24:16They were a promise
01:24:18We don't have to
01:24:22To be continued
01:24:24No Pablo Escobar
01:24:25No Pablo Escobar
01:24:28He's quelque part
01:24:30But he's always
01:24:31He's always
01:24:32Hope
01:24:33Peace
01:24:34Peace
01:24:35Peace
01:24:35Peace
01:24:36Peace
01:24:38Peace
01:24:40Peace
01:24:43Peace
01:24:43The physical state now is that I am in constant pain, I've got diabetes, I have arthritis
01:24:58in every joint in my body, but mentally, spiritually, I feel fantastic.
01:25:13I stopped drinking about seven years ago, and then when I stopped drinking, I found there
01:25:26was an awful lot of space in my mind, I feel that being a churchgoer filled that space.
01:25:36The aggression seemed to subside, it got less, and it got less, and it got less.
01:25:51My brother, Peter, is a good man. He's got a kind, warm, and generous heart. Could be aggressive,
01:26:02but I think he was hurt the way things were. I'm proud of his achievements of how he's managing
01:26:11his life even today, because of problems that he's had. If anybody else has got anything
01:26:19different to say about him, that's their opinion. But I know him as my brother, and I know him as the man.
01:26:32I love being loved. And when I say that, I don't mean in a female sense, I just mean with my friends,
01:26:45my relatives, and above all my children. If I hadn't have been through all those things in life,
01:26:59the fights, the shortcomings that I had, crashes in helicopters, break-up of marriages,
01:27:06If I hadn't have had them, I couldn't have been where I am today. It's just like everything had burned out.
01:27:13There was nothing left except to live a good spiritual life.
01:27:25What I can say is I learned a lot on the side of the Andes. It was the beginning of me growing up.
01:27:42And eventually, I came to terms with a guy called Peter Maglis.
01:27:55KJW ,
01:28:15KJW ,
01:28:19Transcription by CastingWords
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