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COLOMBIA

Police think Swede was killed by guerilla group

UPDATED: Colombian prosecutors and police believe a Swedish student found dead in the South American jungle may have been killed by guerilla fighters, a Swedish radio station reported on Friday.

Police think Swede was killed by guerilla group
A Colombian soldier walking through the jungle. Photo: AP Photo/Christian Escobar Mora

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The man, who was from Norrköping in central Sweden, went missing in Colombia two years ago and was recently found dead.

The 25-year-old was supposed to be going on a hiking trip through nine countries in Central America, but before reaching his final destination in Panama he disappeared without a trace in May 2013.

A few days before he went missing he wrote on his blog page that he was in the Colombian jungle, in an area where paramilitary groups and drug cartels operate.

Citing Colombian newspaper Semana, Sveriges Radio now reports that the Swede was on board a boat which was stopped by members of Farc, a guerilla movement involved in the long-running Colombian armed conflict.

According to Semana, the Swede was questioned about a GPS transmitter he was carrying at the time by the Farc unit, who suspected that he was an American spy.

The student has not been seen alive since then, but his body was recently found in the jungle after a tip to the International Red Cross by members of Farc, reports Semana.

Colombian police and prosecutors are investigating the case. Swedish police are also involved in the ongoing probe.

Farc was established in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party. It is classified as a terrorist organization by countries such as Colombia, the United States and the European Union.