Can someone explain this to me? (Grammar)

Question

I don't understand the use of "el" in the example below. Can someone explain it to me and provide an English example as well? Also, I'm assuming the use of "u" instead of "o" has to do with the fact that the next word begins with an "o" or just a vowel in general. Can someone explain this rule too? Is it just like using "e" instead of "y" when the subsequent word begins with a vowel?

También justificó el no haberlo capturado vivo: "era una noche sin luna y no se sabía dónde podía haber alguien con una bomba adherida a su cuerpo".

Cuando se le preguntó si volvería a hacer lo mismo si se encontrara en Pakistán u otro estado soberano a algún otro alto mando de al-Qaeda, como el Mulá Omar, respondió:

Answer 1

Also, I'm assuming the use of "u" instead of "o" has to do with the fact that the next word begins with an "o" or just a vowel in general.

Is it just like using "e" instead of "y" when the subsequent word begins with a vowel?

You are correct, however, it´s not so much a vowel as a vowel sound. Note: Tiene aguja e hilo.

También justificó el no haberlo capturado vivo

"El" here is the article for the noun phrase (treated as a singular noun) " el no haberlo capturado"

Answer 2

Infinitives in Spanish often behave like nouns, and therefore, they also can take articles, even if the infinitive has objects and other words around it. Compare:

También justificó el hecho

También justificó el no haberlo capturado vivo

If the next word begins with the sound /o/, the conjunction "o" is replaced with "u". In English is similar when a word begins with a vowel sound: the "a" should change to "an".

Answer 3

Thanks Julian and Laz.

So what if I were to write the given sentence without the "el," would it still be correct? (it sounds correct to me and would have been the way I would have written it and said it.)

For example: También justificó no haberlo capturado vivo

And also, if it is correct like so, does using the "el" provide more of a scholarly touch?