Bombings in Colombia Airport Kill 2 Police Officers, Attacker
At least two police were reported dead in the recent bombings that occurred in an airport in Colombia on Tuesday.
The suspected attacker also reportedly died in the incident that happened in the northeastern part of Colombia, which is near the border of Venezuela, Al Jazeera reported.
According to France 24, the two police who died in Tuesday's tragic incident was identified Colombia's defense ministry as David Reyes and William Bareno.
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Colombia Airport Bombings
The authorities confirmed that the first blast of the bombings took place at around 5 a.m. local time. The police noted that a man carrying explosives attempted to climb over a fence that separates the airport's runway from one of Cucuta's neighborhoods.
Authorities said that the attacker managed to cross the said wire fence in the Camilo Daza International Airport, but the bombs exploded, scattering the attacker's body parts in the area.
About an hour later, another explosion was heard while the police were searching for a "suspicious package."
Cucuta Police Chief Colonel Giovanni Madarriaga said that the police officers who surveyed the area were their explosive experts.
The explosion both occurred near the Colombian airport's runway. However, authorities underscored that the passenger terminal was not affected, ABC News reported.
Officials highlighted that the explosions left flights suspended in the airport and prompted evacuations of passengers from the said building.
Authorities are now offering a reward amounting to $25,000 in exchange for information about the recent airport attack in Cucuta, Colombia.
Colombia Officials Attribute Airport Explosions to Terrorist Attack
Even though more information was sought by experts in the recent bombings in Colombia, Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano attributed the bombings to terrorist attacks in a local television interview.
"We reject and condemn this terrorist act that aims, as always, to destabilize [the country]," Molano said.
The defense minister also mentioned that rebels from the National Liberty Army (ELN) and fighters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces Colombia (FARC) are operating in the area where the explosions took place.
Molano pointed out that these organizations "plan, finance, and develop" their attacks from Venezuela and execute them in Colombia.
Cucuta is the capital of North Santander state, which is known to harbor and witness a surge in fighting between rebel groups and drug trafficking gangs. The said gangs are reportedly fighting to seize control of the coca crops as well as trafficking routes in the area.
Meanwhile, Colombian President Ivan Duque took to social media to express his thoughts about the recent bombings in their airport, as he also labeled the incident a "terrorist attack."
Este atentado es un acto cobarde, miserable, terrorista que nos enluta. Es la reacción de los terroristas ante los golpes de #FuerzaPública. Los policías son héroes y la institución no la pueden manosear para hacer política. Invito a prender una vela por nuestra @PoliciaColombia pic.twitter.com/7vbriAprdI
— Iván Duque 🇨🇴 (@IvanDuque) December 14, 2021
"This attack is a cowardly, miserable, terrorist act that mourns us. It is the reaction of the terrorists to the blows of #FuerzaPublica," the president said. Duque also urged the public to light a candle for the police officers.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Explosions at Colombian Airport Kill at Least 3 - From CGTN
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