Stansell, of Manatee County, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes were captured Feb. 13, 2003, when their drug-surveillance plane crashed in the Colombian jungle after being hit by machine gun fire. They were captured by FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a leftist guerrilla group that wants to overthrow the Colombian government. FARC is designated by the U.S. government as a foreign terrorist organization.
Also joining in the lawsuit are the widow and children of pilot Thomas Janis, who was executed, as was a Colombian soldier who was on the flight.
Stansell, who served in the Marines, was the commander of the counter-narcotics mission. He declined to comment Wednesday.
Stansell and his two colleagues from Northrop Grumman Corp. had been the longest-held U.S. hostages in the world. Officials said military spies tricked rebels into giving up 15 hostages -- the Americans, French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 11 Colombians -- without firing a shot.
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