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Jhon Jairo Velazquez, a former hitman of the late drug lord Pablo Escobar, arrives escorted by police, for a hearing at a court in Medellin, Colombia, Friday, May 25, 2018. Velasquez, who was paroled in 2014 after confessing to hundreds of murders and spending 22 years in jail for plotting the murder of a former Colombian presidential candidate, was re-arrested as part of an investigation into extortion. (AP Photo/Luis Benavides)

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Jhon Jairo Velazquez, right, a former hitman of the late drug lord Pablo Escobar, talks to his lawyer at a court in Medellin, Colombia, Friday, May 25, 2018. Velasquez, who was paroled in 2014 after confessing to hundreds of murders and spending 22 years in jail for plotting the murder of a former Colombian presidential candidate, was re-arrested as part of an investigation into extortion. (AP Photo/Luis Benavides)

Colombia re-arrests Pablo Escobar's hitman for extortion

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 1:45 PM ET May. 09, 2019

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian police have re-arrested a former hit man for the late drug lord Pablo Escobar as part of an investigation into extortion.

The chief prosecutor's office said Friday that Jhon Jairo Velasquez was arrested in Medellin. It has yet to provide details about the investigation.

Velasquez, known by his nickname Popeye, was paroled in 2014 after confessing to hundreds of murders and spending 22 years in jail for plotting the assassination of a former Colombian presidential candidate.

He has since gained notoriety as a YouTube star who espouses conservative political views and hate-filled diatribes against leftist rebels and Venezuela's socialist government. Last week he took aim at Colombia's leftist presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, warning that his "rifle will speak for me."