The December 20 Movement was active for several years during the 1990s.  The group targeted members of the new Panamanian government.  In addition, M-20 attacked U.S. government installations, including diplomatic buildings and military facilities.  <P> The December 20 Movement is no longer active.<br />

December 20 Torrijist Patriotic Vanguard (VPT-20)

December 20 Movement -- Suspected Alias/Ally
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) -- Suspected Alias/Ally

VPT-20 is an obscure Panamanian nationalist group that claimed credit for a grenade attack at the U.S. Embassy and the kidnapping of three American missionaries in the early 1990s. The group's name indicates allegiance to Omar Torrijos, a Panamanian nationalist icon who led the country from 1969 to 1981, when he was killed in a plane crash. "Torrijist" principles -- defense of mass participation and Panama's sovereignty from foreigners (the U.S.) -- survived the leader's death. "December 20" is a reference to the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. Based on its name and targets, VPT-20 was most likely a small, anti-U.S., nationalist militant group, though there are several reasons to doubt its existence at all. <P><br /><br />Few details are known about the makeup of VPT-20. It was almost certainly small, perhaps consisting of only a few individuals. Both of its attack claims are shrouded in mystery. The January 15th, 1991 grenade attack at the U.S. Embassy was also claimed by the <a href="?id=4182">Palestine Liberation Organization</a>. Other reports indicate that the Panamanian group that claimed the grenade attack was actually the <a href="?id=233">December 20 Movement</a>, another right-wing group, not the previously unknown VPT-20. <P><br /><br />While no other groups claimed credit for the 1993 kidnapping of three missionaries, VPT-20 itself stated that it collaborated with elements of the <a href="?id=96">Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)</a> in the attack. The missionaries, David Mankins, Mark Rich, and Rick Tenenoff, were held for several years before being murdered by FARC rebels sometime in the mid 1990s. Their deaths were not confirmed until 2000. <P><br />