Manuel Noriega: death of a dictator

Born in 1934 to a poor family in Panama City, Manuel Antonio Noriega had an early start in the military. After receiving a scholarship to study at a Peruvian military academy, he joined Panama's National Guard and rose quickly through its ranks.

Noriega worked as a CIA informant for decades and had a cozy relationship with the United States before taking power in Panama in 1983. The dictator ruled with an iron fist, kidnapping political opponents, ordering their deaths and forging election results. He also made millions moving cocaine for Colombian drug cartels, even as he continued working closely with Washington.

Noriega's ties to drug trafficking eventually caused his relationship with the United States to break down. In the late 80s, officials within his own government accused him of corruption, setting off mass protests. The US withdrew support for its former ally and mounted an invasion of Panama in 1989.

US troops arrived in Panama on December 20 and quickly wrested control of the country from Panamanian forces. Noriega disappeared into hiding, surfacing days later in the Vatican Embassy in Panama City. He surrendered to US forces on January 3, 1990 and was taken to Florida, where he was imprisoned for 17 years on drug-running and racketeering charges.

Noriega, who was sometimes nicknamed "Pineapple face" for his acne scars, appeared to soften in prison. In 2015, he apologized for his regime's abuses in an interview with Panama's Telemetro television network, saying he wanted to "close the cycle" of the military era.

Noriega spent much of the latter part of his life in prison - in the US, France and Panama - for crimes ranging from drug trafficking to racketeering and murder. In this 2011 photo, Noriega is seen arriving at Renacer prison in Panama to serve three 20-year terms for the disappearance of political rivals during his rule. He had been granted temporary release in February 2017 to undergo surgery.