Mapuche leader Facundo Jones Huala arrested in El Bolsón

Radical activist, who was allegedly drunk when found by police, detained and taken in custody.

Fugitive Mapuche leader Facundo Jones Huala has been arrested by police in El Bolsón, the Río Negro Province government has confirmed.

In a statement, Governor Arabela Carreras’ administration said that the indigenous community activist had been detained in the early hours of Monday morning by police in the La Esperanza neighbourhood of the Patagonian town.

“The arrest of the leader of the Mapuche Ancestral Resistance (RAM), who had been a fugitive from justice in Chile since February 2022, came after several months of investigations,” said the provincial Security Ministry.

According to reports, Jones Huala was drunk and was found hiding in the barbecue area of the residency he had broken into at around 4am. Dressed in grey shorts and red trainers, he put up no resistance when police approached.

Jones Huala, 36, has been on the run from police for more than 11 months. The RAM leader faces various accusations against him in the courts, while Chile is also seeking his extradition for unserved jail time relating to offences dating back to 2013. The arrest came after a tipoff from a local resident.

The provincial government said in a statement that it was working with the local and federal court authorities on the next “procedural steps to be taken.”

Jones Huala could still face additional changes related to alleged offences committed in the region, local outlets reported.

The Mapuche leader is the subject of an Interpol blue alert, which is aimed at obtaining information on a person’s identity, whereabouts or criminal activities in relation to a criminal investigation.

Upon hearing of the arrest, Chilean Interior Undersecretary

Manuel Monsalve confirmed that the government had begun the paperwork to request the extradition of Jones Huala.

“Our interest lies in zero impunity in all cases and we thus want him extradited to serve the corresponding prison term,” Monsalve told press in Santiago.

As of Thursday, the process to extradite Jones Huala was fully underway, with Chile’s government and justice system on the same page.

The activist is currently being held at the Dina Huapi police station, though he will likely be transferred to Federal Unit 14 in Esquel, Chubut Province, in the coming days. According to reports, Jones Huala has now opted to begin a hunger strike in protest at his planned extradition.

Francisco Facundo Jones Huala has been a fugitive from the Chilean justice system since February 11, 2022. Authorities in both Argentina and Chile say he is the leader of RAM, an extremist group which has been blamed for attacks on properties in both nations.

The activist was convicted in 2018 by a court in Chile as the perpetrator of an arson attack in Río Bueno, in the Los Ríos region (900 kilometres south of Santiago) and for the illegal possession of firearms, crimes both committed in 2013. He was handed a nine-year prison term.

Jones Huala was imprisoned in Temuco, southern Chile, in 2018, but – in response to an appeal for legal protection filed by his defence team – the RAM leader was releasedonparoleonjanuary 21, 2022. His release was finally challenged by the Chilean government and his conviction upheld by the Chilean Supreme Court, which ordered him to return to prison in February, 2022.

Jones Huala fled and his whereabouts was unknown until his arrest in Patagonia earlier this week.