Colombian authorities detonate controlled explosive found in a suitcase in Bogotá

Colombian authorities on Friday detonated in a controlled manner an explosive device found in a suitcase abandoned on a public street in downtown Bogota, police said.

The mayor of the city, Carlos Fernando Galán, indicated from his X account, formerly Twitter, that the suitcase contained a grenade inside, and asked the police to speed up the investigation to determine those responsible and “who this attack could be directed at.”

The Comunes party — made up of former guerrillas from the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia who signed a peace agreement with the State in 2016 — asked the authorities to investigate the incident after one of its militants reported on X that the suitcase was thrown into the armored car in which he was traveling.

The suitcase was thrown and abandoned in the Soledad neighborhood, in the town of Teusaquillo, near the facilities of the Bogotá Council — an elected corporation where the rules that govern the city are processed.

“Apparently, a person threw a suitcase containing an explosive device underneath a vehicle that was in a traffic jam at that time on that road; the anti-explosives team immediately responded,” Galán told the press.

The commander of the Metropolitan Police of Bogotá, Brigadier General Daniel Gualdrón Moreno, told the press that they found a metal box in the suitcase containing an explosive element that was detected by a robot.

After the discovery, they cordoned off the area and placed sandbags and tires around the suitcase to make a controlled explosion.

Police said the controlled explosion protocol was completed and was carried out in two phases. “No injuries were reported and damage to homes is being assessed,” the report added.

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