Bolivian general who captured Che Guevara dies at 84

Gary Prado Salmon was declared national hero after capture of major figure of Cuban Revolution

By Sinan Dogan

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - The Bolivian general who captured Argentina-born Cuban revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara and became a national hero died at the age of 84.

Gary Prado Salmo died in a hospital in the country's Santa Cruz province, his son Gary Prado Arauz announced on Facebook on Saturday.

"He leaves us a legacy of love, honesty, and grace. He was an extraordinary person. Thank you to everyone who supported us in this time of agony. God bless you," Arauz said.

Born in 1938, Salmo who was paralyzed in the spine in 1981 after being accidentally shot, retired from the army in 1988.

Guevara was captured in Bolivia on Oct. 9, 1967, in a joint operation of the Bolivian army and the US Central Intelligence Agency.

He was executed at a school in rural La Higuera, about 800 kilometers (497 miles) from Bolivia's administrative capital La Paz.

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