Colombian tipster’s Photos of Margarita Island Life Revived Hunt for 1994 Panama Attack Suspect
A Venezuelan engineer’s detailed surveillance work, initiated in 2018, and subsequent complaint to authorities appears to have been a key factor in the recent capture of Ali Hage Zaki Jalil, a fugitive wanted in connection with a 1994 attack on Panamanian Jewish businessmen. Jalil, sought internationally for over three decades, was located on Margarita Island, Venezuela, after the engineer provided photographic evidence and details of his activities.
The engineer, whose name has not been publicly released, was initially tasked with simply verifying if Jalil, a Lebanese-Venezuelan national, resided on the island. “He asked me to find and take photos of Ali Hage Zaki Jalil. “I placed him, in 2018, in one of the three gastrobars there and I began to gain his trust,” the engineer stated, according to reports. The images he collected - showing Jalil with family on beaches and at offices – matched the description circulated by the FBI in an August 2020 international alert requesting information on Jalil’s whereabouts.
The engineer’s work extended beyond simple observation. He also reported being instructed to purchase a house near a telephone tower to install a device ostensibly for internet connectivity, but which he believes functioned as a cell phone signal receiver, part of a project commissioned from Colombia.he provided photographs of this equipment as evidence.
The arrest of Jalil marks a meaningful growth in the examination of the 1994 attack, which resulted in the deaths of members of the Panamanian Jewish community. Authorities have credited international cooperation for finally locating the fugitive after 31 years.
