Bogota bombing was 'work of far right'

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Bogota bombing was 'work of far right'
Published on 16 August 2010 - 3:08am

Colombia's visiting head of Congress, Armando Benedetti, blamed Thursday's car bombing in Bogota that injured nine people on far-right radicals, in an interview with Telesur regional television.

No group has claimed responsibility for the predawn blast that also damaged hundreds of buildings in central Bogota and came only four days after conservative President Juan Manuel Santos was sworn into office.

"On a personal level, I believe it was carried out by forces of the extreme right," Benedetti told the Caracas-based Latin American television station.

"It was a message they wanted to send to the new president. It's hard to come out with a hypothesis, but this is mine," the Colombian lawmaker said.

After the blast, five people who were arrested in early August for transporting almost 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of a similar explosive found in the mangled car were brought in again for questioning, Colombian justice officials said at the time.

Benedetti was in Caracas for weekend talks with Venezuelan officials on normalizing relations between the neighbors, after diplomatic links were reestablished on Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/bogota-bombing-was-work-far-right-0

[Odin2005]

1. Duh. Colombia is a RW shithole.

[EFerrari]

3. Because we fund and arm the right wing.

Those people don't have a chance.

[Odin2005]

4. Yup.

The number of human rights abuses in a country seems to rise in proportion to the military aid we give them.

[formercia]

5. Paramilitaries are paid with US cash

Cut off the money and the paramilitaries will be significantly reduced in numbers due to attrition from not being paid.

[Bacchus39]

6. Colombia is a wonderful country, lots of problems but

certainly no shit hole.

[Ian David]

2. In Colombia, they're called "CoffeeBaggers." n/t

[Judi Lynn]

7. Colombian car bombing article I posted here in 2006: Colombia military in bomb scandal

Last Updated: Monday, 11 September 2006, 09:42 GMT 10:42 UK

Colombia military in bomb scandal
By Jeremy McDermott
BBC News, Medellin

Army officers in Colombia have been accused of placing car bombs around the capital in the latest military scandal to hit the country.
The officers hoped to claim reward money from the government's informants programme for discovering the bombs.

President Alvaro Uribe made a televised address to the nation urging Colombians to keep faith in the security forces, amid a growing crisis in confidence. He has made the strengthening of the military his government's cornerstone.

Such is the crisis in confidence in the military that President Uribe decided that he had to show his face to the nation and reassure Colombians that his military, backed by Washington, was not spinning out of control.

'Isolated incidents'

In the latest scandal, army officers are accused of placing car bombs around Bogota, including one that went off wounding more than a dozen soldiers and killing a civilian.

The motivation was to claim reward money from the government, which offers payments of up to $400,000 (£220,000) for information on the activities of Marxist rebels and drugs traffickers.

In another incident, 10 policemen were killed by the army in what was presented as a friendly fire tragedy. However, evidence has shown that they were killed at point-blank range.

Several soldiers, including a colonel, have been arrested and accused of murdering the policemen on the orders of a notorious drug baron.

Mr Uribe insisted that these scandals are isolated incidents and that things are getting better.

But evidence now suggests that the military are contributing to the violence, not just fighting it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5333980.stm

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[JoeyT]

8. If it had gotten any play in the media it would've been amusing to see how fast they

changed their tune.

"Left wingers bombed something! Terrorist! Terrorist! Terrorist! Terrorist! Terrorist!" (Psst. We just found out it was right wingers.) "Freedom fighters struck a blow for freedom and democracy!"