Colombia’s Vice-President Francia Marquez said Tuesday that police prevented an assassination attempt.
According to the VP, the allegedly botched bomb attack wasn’t the first attempt on her life.
A police intelligence report published by Marquez said that a seven-kilo roadside bomb was found near the VP’s home in the municipality of Suarez shortly before a planned visit.
The bomb was allegedly found after Marquez’s security detail noticed “suspicious behavior” near the road to her rural home and ordered police to inspect the area.
Members of the police’s bomb squad detonated the bomb after retrieving evidence that could possibly identify suspects of the alleged assassination attempt.
Multiple illegal armed groups are active in Marquez’s native region, which has suffered extreme violence because of rivalry between these groups.
Marquez survived an attempt to assassinate her and other Afro-Colombian leaders during a meeting in Santander de Quilichao, a town near the VP’s home.
Marquez, Colombia’s first black female vice-president, received multiple death threats while campaigning ahead of last year’s presidential elections.