The Revolutionary
It was not as an artist however, but as a revolutionary that Paul del Rio, as Maximo Canales, first gained fame. On the night of August 24th, 1963, at the age of 19 as leader of a Venezuelan revolutionary group the Armed Forces of National Liberation, he kidnapped famed Argentine football (soccer) player Alfredo Di Stéfano at gunpoint for three days from the Potomac Hotel in Caracas while his team, Real Madrid, were on a pre-season tour of South America. The kidnapping was codenamed "Julian Grimau", after the Spanish communist Julián Grimau García killed by firing squad in April. Di Stefano was released unharmed two days later without ransom close to the Spanish embassy. A Spanish movie entitled "Real, La Película" ("Real, The Movie") which recounted these events was released in August 25, 2005. In a bizarre publicity stunt at the premiere, both kidnapper, now a famous artist, and soccer player were reunited for the first time in 42 years since the abduction.
The FALN was attempting to emulate Fidel Castro's anti-imperialist overthrow in Cuba. Previous to the Di Stéfano kidnapping, the revolutionary group had seized a Venezuelan cargo ship Anzoategui in February. Other terrorist activities attributed to the FALN, including an assassination attempt on Betancourt were also reported.
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