Arica inmates convicted of terrorist conspiracy involving explosive plots

Two inmates at the Acha Penitentiary Complex in Chile have been convicted for conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks against judicial buildings in Arica. Willmer García Malafito and William Isaac Celas Garrido were found guilty of conspiring to place explosive devices and conspiring to attack the lives of judicial authorities.

The plot, which took place between November 2024 and early 2025, involved planning a car bomb attack outside the Guarantee Court and the Oral Criminal Court in Arica. The investigation revealed that the inmates, linked to the criminal organization ‘Los Gallegos’, coordinated with individuals outside the prison using WhatsApp messages, handwritten notes, and mobile phones to organize vehicles and recruit executors.

The motive for the planned attacks was retaliation for a previous conviction obtained by the Arica Prosecutor's Office against the Los Gallegos group. Both defendants received sentences of 301 days of effective imprisonment. Celas Garrido is already serving a 32-year sentence for organized crime, while García Malafito is serving a sentence of 4 years and 177 days.