Editing Omar Torrijos (section)

== Death ==
[[Image:Mausoleo de Omar Torrijos (Amador - Panamá).jpg|thumb|Omar Torrijos Mausoleum in Amador, Panama City, in the former Canal Zone.]]

Torrijos died at the age of 52 when his aircraft, a [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]] of the Panamanian Air Force, [[Panamanian Air Force FAP-205 crash|crashed at Cerro Marta]], in Coclesito, near [[Penonomé, Coclé|Penonomé]], Panama on July 31, 1981. The aircraft disappeared from radar during light weather, but due to the limited nature of Panama's radar coverage at the time, the plane was not reported missing for nearly a day. The crash site was located several days later, and the body of Torrijos was recovered by a Special Forces team in the first few days of August.<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/TORRIJOS/_OMAR_/PANAMa/PANAMa/Panama/descarta/sabotaje/muerte/Torrijos/elpepiint/19810815elpepiint_9/Tes/ Panamá descarta un sabotaje en la muerte de Torrijos]. By Jesús Ceberio. ''El País'' (Spain),  August 15, 1981.</ref> Four aides and two pilots also died in the crash.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19810731-1 ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 FAP-205 Coclecito:]</ref> His death caused national mourning around the country, especially in poor areas. Following a large state funeral, Torrijos's body was briefly buried in a cemetery in Casco Viejo (the Old City of Panama), before being moved to a mausoleum in the former [[Panama Canal Zone|Canal Zone on Fort Amador]] near [[Panama City]]. He was succeeded as commander of the National Guard and ''de facto'' leader of Panama by [[Florencio Flores Aguilar|Florencio Flores]] (''de jure'' was a military leader; however, ''de facto'' never exercised power as one,<ref>[http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Panama89eng/intro.htm Panama: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights]</ref>) who later gave way to [[Rubén Darío Paredes]]. The crash site is now a national park and his house in Coclesito is now a museum.

Torrijos' death generated charges and speculation that he was the victim of an assassination plot. For instance, in pre-trial hearings in Miami in May 1991, [[Manuel Noriega]]'s attorney, Frank Rubino, was quoted as saying "General Noriega has in his possession documents showing attempts to assassinate General Noriega and Mr. Torrijos by agencies of the United States."<ref>[http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991-05-01/news/9101220014_1_frank-rubino-gen-noriega-panama "Noriega Strategy Unfolds Attorneys Hope To Drag Past U.S. Role Into Trial."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713104329/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1991-05-01/news/9101220014_1_frank-rubino-gen-noriega-panama |date=July 13, 2015 }} By Warren Richey. ''[[Sun Sentinel]]'', May 1, 1991.</ref> No such documents have as yet been produced. In 1981, Soviet news agency [[TASS]] also claimed that the U.S. had caused Torrijos's death.<ref>{{cite web|title=Soviet "Active Measures": Forgery, Disinformation, Political Operations|url=http://insidethecoldwar.org/sites/default/files/documents/Soviet%20Active%20Measures%20Forgery%2C%20Disinformation%2C%20Political%20Operations%20October%201981.pdf|website=Inside the Cold War|publisher=United States Department of State Bureau of Public Affairs|date=October 1981|access-date=August 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601220756/http://insidethecoldwar.org/sites/default/files/documents/Soviet%20Active%20Measures%20Forgery,%20Disinformation,%20Political%20Operations%20October%201981.pdf|archive-date=June 1, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Former Noriega chief of staff Colonel Roberto Diaz, a cousin of Torrijos, as recently as 2013 has several times accused the United States and Noriega of involvement in Torrijos's death and called for investigations.<ref>[http://www.thepanamadigest.com/2013/03/colonel-requests-investigation-into-omar-torrijos-death/ Colonel Requests Investigation into Omar Torrijos Death]. ''Panama Digest'', March 2, 2013.</ref><ref>[http://deadlinelive.info/2009/08/04/deadline-live-exclusive-the-cia-used-manuel-noriega-to-assassinate-panamanian-leader-omar-torrijos/ The CIA Used Manuel Noriega to Assassinate Panamanian Leader Omar Torrijos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217021734/http://deadlinelive.info/2009/08/04/deadline-live-exclusive-the-cia-used-manuel-noriega-to-assassinate-panamanian-leader-omar-torrijos/ |date=December 17, 2014 }}. August 4, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/us-responsible-for-death-of-omar-torrijos-former-militar US Responsible For Death Of Omar Torrijos, - Former Militar.] ''Newsroom Panama'', February 18, 2013.</ref>