Colombians took acting classes for hostage rescue

Once in the air, the two rebels on board were subdued and tied up while the hostages, including three American defense contractors and 11 kidnapped Colombian soldiers and police officers, were told they were free.

The video shows the hostages' hands tied with white plastic cuffs as they glumly board the aircraft.

The idea of binding the hostages came from the rescuers, to build credibility with the rebels. One intelligence officer acted as an Arab and another as an Australian in keeping with the international make-up of a bogus rebel-friendly group.

An American hostage, apparently Keith Stansell, angry about being handcuffed, leaned toward the video camera and shouted an expletive before getting on board. He did not know he was minutes from freedom after years of being shunted around in insect-infested jungle camps.

He was captured along with Thomas Howes and Marc Gonsalves after their light aircraft crashed in the jungles of southern Colombia during a 2003 anti-narcotics mission.

They and Betancourt, a French-Colombian citizen captured by the guerrillas during her 2002 presidential campaign, were the rebels' main bargaining chips for a possible prisoner swap bogged down in negotiations with the government.