Colombian authorities on Friday seized over 300 kilos of explosives from a house in the central city of Neiva, allegedly belonging to guerrilla group FARC and intended for the sabotage of Sunday’s congressional elections, reported Colombian media.
According to police chief for the department of Huila, Flavio Mesa Castro, the house was being used as a headquarters for the rebel group, who planned to use the explosives to sabotage the electoral process on March 14.
Authorities were able to locate the weapons, which were in Neiva’s José Eustasio Rivera neighborhood, through information provided by the testimonies of two previously captured members of the FARC.
According to Caracol radio, the detainees also admitted that the explosives had originally been taken to the location for use in a plan to assassinate Colombian President Alvaro Uribe during his visit to Neiva on February 7 – a plan which had allegedly fallen through due to logistical restraints.
Among the explosive equipment seized were pipe-bombs, electrical detonators and launching ramps.