Senior official did not attribute the attack to the FARC and ELN dissidents that have a presence in the department of Norte de Santander.
The authorities offered this Tuesday a reward of 100 million pesos (about 25,000 dollars) for information that allows to clarify the terrorist attack committed at the Camilo Daza airport, in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, in which two policemen and a civilian who manipulated explosives
This was announced by the Defense Minister, Diego Molano, at the end of a security council held today in Cúcuta, which has the main border crossing with Venezuela, where the Governor of the department of Norte de Santander, Silvano Serrano, and the Mayor of that city, Jairo Yáñez.
Molano also indicated that the characteristics of what happened at the air terminal “have similar characteristics that could be assimilated to previous events” perpetrated by dissidents from the FARC and the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN).
In addition, the airport’s perimeter security will be reinforced with 36 soldiers from the Command against Drug Trafficking and Transnational Threats (Conat).
Likewise, an “anti-terrorist security bubble” will be created solely for the metropolitan area of Cúcuta and thus counteract terrorism.
“The presence of the authorities will be reinforced at critical points to redouble security,” said Minister Molano.
Regarding the attack, the United States embassy in Colombia recommended its citizens not to travel to this part of the country because “we have limited capacity to provide emergency services to US citizens.”
“There were explosions at the Camilo Daza airport in Cúcuta. The airport temporarily suspended its operations. We advise against traveling to this area due to crime and terrorism ”, says the message posted on social networks.
Last June the explosion of a car at the facilities of the Army’s Thirtieth Brigade in Cúcuta left 36 injured, and weeks later the helicopter in which President Iván Duque was traveling was hit by several shots as it approached the Camilo Daza airport.
The director of the Colombian Police, General Jorge Luis Vargas, agreed with Molano that the characteristics of the terrorist attack that occurred at the air terminal “have similar characteristics that could be assimilated to previous events” perpetrated by dissidents from the FARC and the ELN.
However, the senior official did not attribute today’s attack to either of the two groups that have a presence in the department of Norte de Santander.
The high official added that it is not yet known how many people participated in the attack and that the target of the terrorists is also being investigated.
He recalled in Norte de Santander there are groups dedicated to drug trafficking, especially the ELN and the dissidents of the 33rd Front of the FARC. (I)
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