BOGOTA, Colombia -- A U.S. judge has taken out ads in Colombian newspapers and magazines ordering the country's main rebel group to appear in his Washington courtroom to face charges of kidnapping three Americans in 2003.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, are accused in the summons, first published Sunday in a half-dozen Colombian publications, of "taking hostages in violation of U.S. laws."
The Americans -- Tom Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell -- were captured by the FARC on Feb. 13, 2003, after their small plane crashed in a rebel stronghold in southern Colombia while on an anti-drug mission. The FARC has acknowledged they are holding the men.
The announcement was placed in Spanish by U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan and is slated to be repeated once a week through September.
Details here from the AP via Newsday.com.