Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos visits the site of the bomb blast that rattled Bogota early Thursday morning and condemned the incident as a terrorist attack.
Santos arrived at the site at 7AM and told press “This is a terrorist attack … and like all acts of terrorism what is desired is to upset, to generate fear in the population, to generate people’s skepticism in the authorities.”
“We will not play the terrorists’ game, we will not fall for that trick,” the president said. “This is an act of cowardice.”
The blast occurred at 5.30AM as Caracol journalist Dario Arizmendi began his daily broadcast and was heard live on air.
Bogota Mayor Samuel Moreno said nine people were injured in the blast, three of whom were rushed to hospital.
Authorities said preliminary investigations suggest that the bomb may have consisted of around 50 kilos of anfo – a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil – planted in a car in a street close to the Caracol Radio offices.
Colombian Police Commissioner General Oscar Naranjo called for residents of Colombia’s capital city to remain calm and expressed relief that no one was killed in the blast.
An extraordinary security council meeting has been called to discuss the attack.
As well as the Caracol offices, buildings housing news agency Efe and banks Bancolombia and BBVA were also affected.
- Caracol Radio host Dario Arizmendi reports on the bomb blast (mp3)
- Map of the area
- Photos of the bomb site