The Man Who Failed to Kill Pablo Escobar: The Story of Peter McAleese’s Troubled Life and Controversial Mission

In 1989, a team of British mercenaries, led by Scotsman Peter McAleese, embarked on a mission to assassinate Pablo Escobar, the leader of the Medellín cartel in Colombia. The documentary “Killing Escobar,” released in 2021, tells the story of this failed mission and McAleese’s role in it.

McAleese was born in Glasgow in 1942 and had a troubled upbringing in the shadow of Barlinnie Prison. He joined the Army at 17 to channel his aggression and served in the SAS before becoming a mercenary. While serving as a mercenary, he met Dave Tomkins who offered him a mission to kill Escobar on behalf of the Cali cartel. McAleese joined a team of 12 mercenaries, trained extensively and planned the attack on Escobar’s Hacienda Nápoles.

The mercenaries were paid handsomely for their mission, with McAleese feeling no moral conflict about killing Escobar. However, their attack was thwarted when their helicopter crashed in the Andes while they were en route to meet with Escobar’s men. This incident left McAleese injured and stranded for three days. His life was saved by an American pilot who happened upon them while flying over the region on a routine patrol.

Escobar’s men searched for them but were unable to find any trace of them. Eventually, McAleese managed to escape and return home safely after several grueling days of surviving alone in nature. He took time to reflect on his life choices and found peace in acknowledging his past and regretting his failures as a husband and father.

In March 2021, Peter McAleese passed away at the age of 78 from cancer-related complications. The story of this failed mission sheds light on McAleese’s complex life as both a soldier and mercenary, showcasing his inner turmoil and restlessness that drove him to seek out dangerous missions.

In conclusion, Peter McAleese was an extraordinary individual who lived an extraordinary life as both a soldier and mercenary