Incident Summary:
05/04/2001: Four people were killed and at least twenty-five more were wounded when a bomb comprised of 110 pounds of explosives and placed in a Chevy pickup truck detonated in the parking lot of the Hotel Torre de Cali in Cali, Valle del Cauca department, Colombia around 7pm. Among those guests injured at the hotel were the coach and several members of the Once Caldas professional soccer team. Severe damage was done to the first floor of the hotel, twenty stories of the hotel had their windows blown out, several cars in the area were badly damaged, and buildings four blocks from the explosion had windows broken. Witnesses saw a vehicle being pushed into the hotel parking lot by two men shortly before the explosion. One source reported that the National Liberation Army (ELN) of Colombia claimed responsibility for the attack in a fax sent to a radio station, but this was not confirmed among the other sources.
Overview
GTD ID:
200105040003
When:
2001-05-04
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Valle del Cauca
City:
Cali
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Bombing/Explosion |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Business |
Name of Entity |
Hotel Torre de Cali |
Specific Description |
Hotel Torre de Cali and its guests |
Nationality of Target |
Colombia |
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property |
Name of Entity |
Private citizens and property |
Specific Description |
Citizens and property in the vicinity of the explosion |
Nationality of Target |
Colombia |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Unknown |
Value of Property Damage |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Explosives |
Vehicle |
Weapon Details |
One of the sources describes the bomb as being comprised of 110 pounds of dynamite and placed in a Chevy pickup truck in the parking lot. |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | No |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
No |
Additional Information |
One of the sources mentions that the ELN claimed responsibility, but this claim was not confirmed by the other sources. Witnesses in the vicinity of the explosion saw a vehicle being pushed into the hotel's parking lot by two men shortly before the explosion. The Hotel Torre de Cali was the tallest building in Cali. Reports conflicted as to the number injured, with an earlier report saying eight people, while the two later reports said twenty-five and thirty-people were injured. |
Who
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
2 |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
0 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
4 Fatalities / 25 Injured |
Total Number of Fatalities |
4 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
0 |
Total Number of Injured |
25 |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
"Car bomb in Colombia hotel parking lot kills four," Associated Press, May 4, 2001. |
"Cali car-bomb kills at least four," EFE News Service, May 5, 2001. |
Phil Stewart, "Car bomb rips through Colombia hotel, 32 injured," Reuters, May 5, 2001. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties