Facebook Hit List Claims Victims

Three teens – whose names were on a 69-person hit list posted on Facebook – have been killed in the past 10 days in a southwestern Colombian town, and police said they are investigating both who posted the list and the connection between the teens listed. Police said the criminal gang Los Rastrojos and the Marxist guerilla group called the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia operate in the area, but they did not say whether either group was affiliated with the killings or the hit list. Posted on August 17, the hit list gave the 69 people three days to leave the town of Puerto Asis or otherwise be executed. Although officials first thought the list was a prank, the publication of a second list with 31 names and the deaths of the teens caused police to convene a special security meeting Friday. Colombian media reported Puerto Asis is in a state of panic, with some parents sending their children out of town because of their inclusion on the list.