 The group was formerly known as the Bolivarian Forces of Liberation – Liberation Army ( FBL-EL), but they have not attached the suffix to their name in recent years.Following the 1992 Venezuelan coup d'état attempts by Hugo Chávez and his co-conspirators, the FBL formed in 1992 as a left-wing nationalist militia to defend against potential entry of Colombian paramilitary brigades and "invasion by imperialist forces".Prior to the election of Hugo Chávez, it was alleged that the FBL had been involved with student movements, including Utopía, a leftist student movement that was led by Hugo Cabezas and Tareck El Aissami at the University of the Andes.