Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s Bolivian executioner has died at the age of 80, according to his friends.
Mario Teran was part of the group that captured the famous revolutionary guerrilla in 1967 after a months-long pursuit.
The mission was led by then general Gary Prado, who said Mr Teran “simply complied with his duty as a sergeant of the army”.
Image: Guevara has become a symbol for revolutionaries since he helped Fidel Castro overthrow the Cuban dictator. File pic
Speaking to Radio Companera, he said Mr Teran had died after a long illness. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Guevara was an Argentine physician who was a leading figure in the Cuban revolution that won power in 1959 under Fidel Castro, toppling dictator Fulgencio Batista.
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He served as a senior official in the Cuban government for several years, before he set off to try to lead other insurrections in Africa and South America.
‘Calm yourself and aim well’
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An already wounded Guevara and his small group were finally tracked down by Bolivian soldiers and Mr Teran was chosen to execute him after an order from the capital.
Image: Camilo Cienfuegos (top with hat) Guevara (right with beret) and Castro enter Havana after victory over Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959
The revolutionary was 39 years old at the time of his death.
The sergeant later said it “was the worst moment of my life”.
“I saw Che large, very large. His eyes shone intensely. I felt him coming over me and when he fixed his gaze on me, it made me dizzy.
“‘Calm yourself’, he told me, ‘and aim well! You are going to kill a man!’. Then I took a step back towards the door, closed my eyes and fired.”
According to Guevara’s biographers, the first shots missed his chest but he was eventually hit.
Source : Sky News
