The attempt was led by Major Moisés Giroldi, supported by a group of officers who had returned from a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Namibia.

[5] Giroldi initiated the coup shortly before 8 a.m.[4] and managed to capture Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.

[7] Giroldi and ten soldiers headed the coup : Captain Jorge Bonilla Arboleda; Majors Juan Arza Aguilera, Leon Tejada González, Edgardo Sandoval Alba, Eric Murillo Echevers and Nicasio Lorenzo Tuñón; Lieutenants Francisco Concepción and Ismael Ortega Caraballo; Sub-Lieutenants Feliciano Muñoz Vega and Dioclides Julio.

[14] Relatives of those executed alleged that family members were subjected to persecution by the government, claiming that they had their houses raided and ransacked and had received eviction notices.

[5] In the United States Senate, the Bush administration received bipartisan criticism for its handling of and reaction to the coup.

[15] The failure of the coup prompted "a philosophical turnaround" within the Pentagon, as U.S. military officials realised that Noriega would probably not be removed internally and that more significant U.S. involvement would be needed to dislodge him from power.

[17] On 4 October 2015, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela announced the construction of a monolith in memory of the victims.

[18] In May 2016, Gabriel Pinzón, Director General of the penitential system confirmed that Noriega was to be detained until 2030 for his part in the Albrook massacre.