Incident Summary:
08/12/2010: On Thursday morning at 0530, on the corner of 66th Street and Highway Seven in Bogota, Capital District, Colombia, a vehicle improvised explosive device containing 110 pounds of unspecified explosives was detonated outside the Colombian Caracol Radio and Spanish EFE Media Building. The explosion injured nine civilians, destroyed the windows of at least 30 buildings and the facade of a nearby bank and damaged several nearby media buildings, many nearby buildings including 424 residences, 124 retail establishments, at least three banks, hundreds of apartment buildings and 18 nearby vehicles as well as a bus. Authorities were later able to discover through evidence gathered from computers seized during a military operation that the commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Mono Jojoy, had claimed responsibility for the attack in an email dated 08/13/2010. Jojoy had ordered the attack and claimed the motive was to publicize the inauguration of newly elected Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos and to intimidate the new government administration. The Caracol Radio director, Darío Arizmendi, had also received several threats from suspected FARC rebels prior to the bombing. Gustavo Ladino turned himself into authorities for his involvement in the attack while authorities later arrested Adelmo López Cortés and Edilson Moreno Barragán.
Overview
GTD ID:
201008120006
When:
2010-08-12
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Bogota
City:
Bogota
Location Details:
At the Colombian Caracol Radio and Spanish EFE Media Building on the corner of 66th Street and Highway Seven in Bogota, Capital District, Colombia.
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Bombing/Explosion |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Journalists & Media |
Name of Entity |
Caracol Radio |
Specific Description |
The Colombian Caracol Radio Building |
Nationality of Target |
Colombia |
Target Type: Journalists & Media |
Name of Entity |
EFE Media |
Specific Description |
The Spanish EFE Media Building was targeted. |
Nationality of Target |
Spain |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Major (likely > $1 million but < $1 billion) |
Value of Property Damage |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Explosives |
Vehicle |
Weapon Details |
A vehicle borne improvised explosive device containing 110 pounds of unspecified explosives was used in the attack. |
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 |
The summary of this incident was partially based on articles originally written in Spanish. |
Who
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
3 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
0 Fatalities / 9 Injured |
Total Number of Fatalities |
0 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
0 |
Total Number of Injured |
9 |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
Colombian Armed Forces, "Mono Jojoy Was Behind the Caracol Car Bomb Attack," El Tiempo, https://www.fac.mil.co/?idcategoria=56707 (August 4, 2010). |
Colombia Reports, Adriaan Alsema, "Bogota Car Bomb Suspect Accused," Associated Press, http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/13602-bogota-car-bomb-suspect-accused.html (Januaryt 6, 2011). |
National Counterterrorism Center, "Nine People Wounded in VBIED Attack by FARC in Bogota, Cundinamarca, Colombia," Worldwide Incidents Tracking System, January 14, 2011. |
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