Country Report on Terrorism 2023 - Chapter 1 - Peru

Overview:  The Peruvian National Police (PNP) and Peruvian Armed Forces continued operations in 2023 targeting remnants of the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso, or SL).  The government also continued investigating SL front organizations and its legal political branch, called the Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights (Movimiento por Amnistía y Derechos Fundamentales, or MOVADEF).  Peru continues to implement the 2019-23 National Multisectoral Policy to Combat Terrorism, which included efforts to promote a peaceful culture, restore rights for victims of terrorism, and neutralize terrorist activities.

SL remnants continued to operate in the Valley of the Rivers Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro (VRAEM) region.  Most experts and the Peruvian security services assessed that SL members numbered between 250 and 300, including from 60 to as many as 150 armed fighters.  To support its terrorist activities, SL collects “revolutionary taxes” from drug trafficking organizations operating in the area.

2023 Terrorist Incidents:  The overall number of terrorist incidents increased from five in 2022 to 11 in 2023, and deaths attributable to terrorist incidents increased from three in 2022 to at least 21 in 2023.

• On February 11, SL terrorists killed seven PNP officers in a vehicle ambush in the southern highland’s region of Cusco, in what is considered the largest attack on Peruvian police forces in more than a decade.
• On March 13, SL militants killed a Peruvian soldier in the central highland’s region of Junín.
• On September 7, terrorists kidnapped and later executed a nurse for suspicion of being an Armed Forces’ informant in the central highland’s region of Junín.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security:  The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights documented the application of antiterrorism legislation to acts that occurred in the context of Peru’s December 2022 to February 2023 protests, including against protest leaders and other demonstrators with a public profile.  While maintaining civil stability, the Peruvian government, its military, and police teams sustained CT operations aimed at weakening the capabilities of SL throughout the year.

Víctor Quispe Palomino (aka Comrade José), a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Most Wanted Fugitive, leads SL’s remnants in the VRAEM under the banner of the Militarized Communist Party of Peru (MPCP).  Quispe allegedly oversees all MPCP illicit activities, including extortion, murder, and drug trafficking.  Peruvian authorities captured SL leaders in Ayacucho in June in connection with the deadly February attack that killed seven PNP officers.  Additionally, in November, authorities captured José Quispe Zúñiga, Palomino’s son, along with three other sons of SL commanders, in Ayacucho.  Leaders of the PNP’s Directorate Against Terrorism (DIRCOTE) hailed these arrests as a significant blow to SL’s future prospects.

A Peruvian court sentenced two men each to eight years in prison in January for praising a SL leader on social media.  In February, the Ministry of Interior announced changes to the criminal definition of “apology for terrorism” in Article 316-A of the Penal Code to include advocating for terrorism on social media, which is punishable by an eight- to 15-year sentence.  The Ministry of Interior created a tipline for such crimes and called on the public to report online justification or glorification of terrorism.

In April, Peru’s Fifth District Court of Appeals retrial of Muhammad Ghaleb Hamdar, a Lebanese citizen suspected of links to Hizballah, concluded with a not-guilty verdict.  The court acknowledged Hizballah as a terrorist group but dismissed Hamdar’s confession linking him to Hizballah because of defense team claims that the confession was obtained under coercion.  Peruvian citizen Brian Eugenio Alvarado Huari, originally arrested in 2019 for alleged links to ISIS and with plans to “attack foreigners,” is not in custody and Peruvian prosecutors did not take efforts toward a prosecution in 2023.

Immigration authorities continued to collect biometric information from visitors at ports of entry.

DIRCOTE and the FBI collaborated on international terrorism investigations and information sharing initiatives throughout 2023.  The FBI’s Global Exchange Management System (or GEMS) enabled DIRCOTE and Peruvian immigration authorities to input traveler information to share with the U.S. government, improving the detection of known or suspected terrorist travel.

DHS’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in partnership with the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, expanded its cooperation with Peru in September by establishing a Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit to enhance investigative efforts and prosecute those involved in transnational criminal activities that threaten the stability and national security of the region and pose continuing threats to the homeland security of the United States, including terrorism.  HSI continued to partner with Peru through the host-country-led Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (or BITMAP) to map illicit pathways and emerging trends among transnational criminal organizations, and identify known or suspected terrorists, criminals, or other persons of interest by utilizing U.S. biometric databases.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism:  Peru is a member of GAFILAT (the Financial Action Task Force of Latin America), and its Financial Intelligence Unit is a member of the Egmont Group.  There were no significant changes in 2023.

Countering Violent Extremism:  The government’s multisectoral VRAEM 2021 Development Strategy, part of Peru’s bicentennial vision, aims to foster economic development and social inclusion, and complements aggressive actions against SL terrorism, propaganda, and recruitment.

International and Regional Cooperation:  Peruvian officials participate in counterterrorism activities with international organizations, including the UN, the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation engagement.  DIRCOTE also coordinates with police in other countries to track terrorist activities.

Chanchamayo and Puno are members of the Strong Cities Network.