Colombian senator survives bomb

[bemildred]

Notice the method used. Almost sounds like Iraq.

A Colombian senator allied with President Alvaro Uribe has been targeted in a bomb attack in the capital, Bogota.

German Vargas escaped unhurt, but nine people were injured when an explosion was set off as his car passed by.

Pedestrians and some of Mr Vargas' bodyguards were among the victims.

President Uribe condemned the attack and offered a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible.

BBC

[bemildred]

1. Explosive rebel message ahead of Colombian ruling

BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Marxist rebels have sent Colombians a violent message ahead of a court ruling on whether President Alvaro Uribe can run for reelection, by trying to kill one of his most prominent supporters.

Sen. German Vargas Lleras escaped shaken but unhurt when a car bomb detonated just as his armor-plated SUV drove past it on a Bogota street on Monday night. Police said the most likely culprits were the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, who blew off three of Vargas' fingers with another bomb in late 2002.

The explosion, which injured three bodyguards and six bystanders, came days before the Constitutional Court is due to rule on the legality of a law which would allow Uribe to run for a second term in next May's election.

The FARC detest Uribe, a close U.S. ally who polls predict would easily win reelection thanks to tough military policies which have cut violence and crime. Colombia has suffered four decades of a guerrilla war claiming thousands of lives a year.

Reuters