The Omar Torrijos Commando for Latin American Dignity first proclaimed its existence on December 27, 1989, one week after U.S. troops invaded Panama and deposed the dictator, Manuel Noriega.  The group is named after the Panamanian national hero, Omar Torrijos, who was known for his ultranationalist views and anti-colonial ideology.  <p><br /><br />The Omar Torrijos Commando was formed in response to the U.S. invasion of Panama, and harbored virulent anti-Western sentiment.   A typed letter authored by the group vowed to take "an eye for an eye" and attack American citizens and U.S. government targets in retaliation for American involvement in the country.  Per this same letter, dated December 25th, the group introduced its slogan, "A dead gringo for every assassinated Panamanian," and promised to carry out attacks against America until all the Marines have left Panama.  Moreover, based on its one documented attack and the historical context of its founding, the Omar Torrijos Commando can be said to take particular dislike to what they perceive as American cultural imperialism and domination in Latin and South America. <p><br /><br />The only major attack associated with the group occurred one week after its founding, with a firebomb attack on a Mormon church in the town of Cabudare, Venezuela.  <br />In the past, Mormon temples have been targeted in South America by left-wing militant groups because of their reputation as symbols of American imperialism and their perceived intervention in the host country's affairs.  In fact, another Venezuelan incident on a Mormon church occurred in 2004, when The Ej&#233;rcito del Pueblo en Armas attacked a church and scattered leaflets denouncing the church as a bastion of American imperialism and a vehicle for American intelligence activities.  <p><br /><br />The Omar Torrijos Commando seems to share similarities with other Latin American leftist groups opposed to America, in that their Anti-American sentiments have been manifested against the Mormon Church.   In February 1991, for example, an attack was carried out by the "Heroes of Palestine" against a Mormon temple in Medellin, Colombia.  Additionally, The Zarate Willka Armed Forces of Liberation, a leftist group that operated briefly in Bolivia in 1989, carried out a number of attacks on U.S. interests, primarily against Mormon churches and missionaries.  <br />