A car bomb ripped through the town of Los Patios, part of the greater CĂșcuta metropolitan area near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, late on August 31. The explosive-laden vehicle detonated around 11:15 p.m. right in front of the local police station, located on the town’s main avenue, an area still busy with shoppers and passersby at that hour.
The blast killed one civilian and injured eleven others, including two police officers. Among the wounded was a taxi driver who happened to be driving past the station when the bomb went off; he remains in serious condition. The explosion also destroyed police vehicles and several motorcycles, leaving them charred, and damaged nearby buildings.
Colombian authorities say early evidence points to the National Liberation Army (ELN), a guerrilla group with a strong presence in the Norte de Santander region, where two commanders known as alias Silvana and alias Ricardo are wanted, with a reward of nearly 2 billion pesos (roughly $500,000) offered for information leading to their capture.
This marks the second car bomb attack against police facilities in the CĂșcuta area within a single month, prompting an emergency security meeting. Colombia’s president, defense minister, and top military and police officials were set to travel to CĂșcuta to assess the attack and coordinate a security response for the region.
For more details, read the full report at El Tiempo.
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