PETER McAleese was one of twelve ex-soldiers tasked with the murder of feared drugs lord Pablo Escobar.
After surviving the danger-filled mission in 1989, Peter passed away aged 81 last week.
Who was Peter McAleese?
Peter McAleese was an ex-SAS operative, known for being involved in an assassination attempt on drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.
He was brought up in Glasgow’s Riddrie area.
Peter lived close to infamous Barlinnie prison, where his “very tough and violent” father had spent time.
Toughened by his upbringing in Glasgow, he enlisted in the Parachute Regiment in Aberdeen at the age of 17 and became a member of the 1st Battalion Mortar Platoon until 1962.
After a rigorous selection process, he became a member of 22 Regiment SAS.
The young soldier went on to train with US Special Forces at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, and was one of the first SAS troopers to complete HALO parachute training with the US Green Berets.
He also served in Bahrain, Cyprus and Borneo with the SAS 16th Air Troop.
After leaving the British Army in 1969, Peter went on to fight in the Angolan Civil War on behalf of the National Liberation Front of Angola and later in the Rhodesian SAS.
The dad-of-three once ran The Gunmakers Arms pub in Birmingham.
He trained bodyguards in Moscow and took on security work in Algeria and Iraq.
Peter was one of the men recruited by the rival Colombian drug gang the Cali cartel to coordinate an attack on Pablo Escobar.
What happened during the attack on Pablo Escobar?
Peter was part of a crack team that offered $1 million for the Medellin cartel boss’ head.
The team of twelve men, known as the “Dirty Dozen” was made up ex-Special Forces men
He was appointed “tactical Commander” of the group by team leader and mercenary Dave Tomkins.
Peter later said: “You don’t get asked to kill Pablo Escobar unless you’ve got the right experience.”
The mercenaries were on $5,000 (£3,600) a month, plus expenses.
The team trained rigorously for the mission, and practised their moves in a mock-up football pitch of Escobar’s security.
Then murder squad moved to a live firing training camp in the jungle, before setting off to in two helicopters for Escobar’s jungle compound with, by their estimate, “enough ammunition to kill 3,000 guys”.
But the helicopter clipped the trees and ploughed into the ground – leaving both Peter and the pilot badly injured.
Peter later recalled: “She ploughed into the ground. I went to work on the pilot. His leg had been severed and I tried to get a drip into him and all I could do was make his death easier. So I gave him some morphine. I was so busy working the pilot that I hadn’t realised I was in shock myself.
“I had broken ribs in the front, broken ribs in the back. When you think you’re going to die you tend to do a bit of soul searching.”
Although Peter was rescued, the mission was over with Pablo still alive.
How have people reacted to Peter’s death?
A notice on his official social media account read: “It’s with an empty heart I regret to inform you that on Monday afternoon Peter McAleese completed his final tour of duty and went off to the big reorg in the sky.
“I’m sure I speak on behalf of may people when I say Peter was a warrior in the military world and a gentleman in the streets, although Peter didn’t like being called a legend, it’s true to say that much of his journey was legendary, for me I’m just happy to call him my friend.
“Sleep well buddy, keep smiling see you one day.”
SAS veteran-turned-author Chris Ryan said: “He was a tough soldier who chose the life of a mercenary at a time when the term was used in its truest sense – when being a mercenary actually involved being a mercenary.”
One friend said: “RIP. A true legend, a gentleman and one of a kind.”
Another added: “He will be missed by many including his family and the world will be a sadder place without him.”