The ELN has admitted kidnapping eight tourists (one of whom escaped while the captives were being marched to an ELN camp.) The ELN wants to make a big deal out of what is a political disaster. The ELN men who grabbed the foreigners first robbed them and apparently didn't realize that grabbing Europeans would hurt the ELNs attempts to be taken off the list of world wide terrorists. The ELN is also backed by Cuba, but that country's communist government is also in trouble with Europeans for abuse of its citizens. The ELN is calling for the Roman Catholic church to get involved in negotiating the captives release.