Enrique Arancibia Clavel
Chilean DINA agent
About Enrique Arancibia Clavel
Lived 1944 – 2011 (aged 66). Enrique Arancibia Clavel was a Chilean intelligence officer, murderer and terrorist.
Enrique Arancibia Clavel (13 October 1944 – 28 April 2011) was a Chilean Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (DINA) Intelligence officer, terrorist and founder of the fascist Nationalist Liberation Offensive political movement.
Arancibia was convicted in Argentina for his role in the assassination of General Carlos Prats and for the kidnapping and torture of two Chilean women, Laura Elgueta and Sonia Díaz. After spending 20 years in prison, Arancibia was granted parole in July 2007. In April 2011, Arancibia was found stabbed to death in his apartment in Buenos Aires.
Chile Arancibia was associated with the right-wing group responsible for the botched kidnapping of Chilean Army Chief of Staff René Schneider in 1970, which resulted in Schneider's death. General Schneider had supported Allende's election and advocated for an apolitical military through the Schneider Doctrine. However, Arancibia was not directly linked to Schneider's assassination. After the incident, Arancibia fled Chile and lived in unofficial exile in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Argentina From March 1974 to November 1978 Arancibia was a part of the DINA, and acted as a liaison between DINA and the Secretariat of Intelligence (SIDE).
In 1978, shortly after Townley's extradition to the United States for the murder of diplomat Orlando Letelier in Washington, D.C. in 1976, Argentine intelligence officers arrested Arancibia for espionage.
In 2000, Arancibia was sentenced to life in prison for the 1974 assassination of General Carlos Prats and Sofía Cuthbert in Bueno Aires,
Townley served 62 months of a 10-year sentence for his role in the assassination of Orlando Letelier. Townley's plea bargain for confessing to the Letelier assassination granted him immunity from further prosecution, preventing his extradition to Argentina on charges related to Prats' assassination.
In 2004, an Argentine court convicted Arancibia and sentenced him to 12 years for the kidnapping and torture of Laura Elgueta and Sonia Díaz, two Chilean woman who had been living in Argentina. Elgueta later served as the press chief for former Minister of Defense Vivianne Blanlot. Although the Prats case remained open in Chile, Arancibia was released on parole in July 2007 due to technical reasons after spending nearly 20 years in prison in Argentina.
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Important facts
People in Enrique Arancibia Clavel's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Enrique Arancibia Clavel's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Enrique Arancibia Clavel?
Chilean DINA agent (1944-2011)
When was Enrique Arancibia Clavel born?
Enrique Arancibia Clavel was born on 13 October 1944 in Punta Arenas.
When did Enrique Arancibia Clavel die?
Enrique Arancibia Clavel died on 28 April 2011 in Buenos Aires.
What was Enrique Arancibia Clavel's occupation?
Enrique Arancibia Clavel was an intelligence officer, murderer and terrorist.
What nationality was Enrique Arancibia Clavel?
Enrique Arancibia Clavel was Chilean.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Enrique Arancibia Clavel
· DBpedia: Enrique Arancibia Clavel
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Enrique Arancibia Clavel. https://biography.guide/enrique-arancibia-clavel/
MLA: "Enrique Arancibia Clavel." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/enrique-arancibia-clavel/.
Chicago: "Enrique Arancibia Clavel." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/enrique-arancibia-clavel/.
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