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On Thursday, the Bolivian authorities announced the death of the Bolivian officer Mario Teran Salazar, the killer of the Argentine-Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto “Che” Guevara, in 1967.

And the authorities indicated that the 80-year-old officer, Mario Teran Salazar, died Thursday morning in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra in eastern Bolivia, according to what was announced by a person close to him.

For his part, Gary Prado, the Bolivian officer, who caught “Guevara” in the Bolivian jungle 54 years ago, expressed his deep sorrow at the death of Salazar, who was his student at the Officers’ College.

“Mario Teran Salazar passed away as a result of his illness and nothing could be done,” he said, noting that he received the news of his death Thursday morning with great regret.
He added, “I was notified of the matter by his family and comrades in the armed forces because he was in a military hospital, and the hospital refused to confirm the cause of death in accordance with the principle of medical privacy.”

On October 8, 1967, the Bolivian army, during a joint operation with CIA officers, arrested Che Guevara, after he and a group of his supporters tried to organize a revolutionary movement in Bolivia.

Guevara was leading a group of fighters who withstood the difficult conditions, hunger and disease in the Bolivian mountains.

During one of the battles, Guevara was wounded, and he was taken to an abandoned school in the Bolivian village of “La Higuera” to receive the necessary treatment.

On the second day of his treatment, Guevara was murdered, by Teran Salazar, in an operation approved by President René Barrientos (1964-1969), known for his fierce opposition to communism.

About the events of that night, Teran Salazar said: “It was the worst moment in my life, and at that time Guevara looked big and giant, and his eyes were shining very hard.”
He added, “He told me to stay calm, aim well, you’re killing a man, and then I went back, closed my eyes, and shot him.”

Referred to as Teran Salazar, retired after three decades of service, and kept a low profile, avoiding contact with the press, and he even said at one point that Guevara’s killer was not him but another soldier with the same name and fame.

It is worth noting that Ernesto Che Guevara, born on June 24, 1928 in the Argentine city of Rosario, was the closest companion of Cuban President Fidel Castro, and one of the leaders of the Cuban Revolution in 1959.