Bogota bombing was 'work of far right'

[Judi Lynn]

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.

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

[naaman fletcher]

1. In other words,

there is zero basis whatsoever for the accusation. Why would "far-right" do this? what "message" would they be sending?

[Bacchus39]

2. it could be. I'd say the FARC maybe too although the very early morning

time of the attack I've found curious. as if it were an attempt not to cause too many casualties. the FARC hasn't been exactly concerned with loss of life through their history so that gives me some pause.

[Bacchus39]

3. dupe n/t

s

[Judi Lynn]

4. Chavez and Colombian Congress president to meet on Monday .

Chavez and Colombian Congress president to meet on Monday .
Sunday, 15 August 2010 11:54 Adriaan Alsema

President of Colombia's Congress, senator Armando Bendetti, will meet with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Caracas on Monday to discuss the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Benedetti left to Venezuela on Saturday where on Monday he meets Chavez and Venezuela's Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro.

The Congress president is in Venezuela on invitation by the country's General Assembly and will prepare the binational commissions that will have to tackle the specific problems the two countries face after years of bickering between the Venezuelan Head of State and his former Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe.

Beneditti told Caracol Radio that "the two brother countries must work together against terrorism, creating trust between the two."

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/11344-chavez-and-colombian-congress-president-to-meet-on-monday.html

[Judi Lynn]

5. Armando Benedetti

Wikipedia:

Armando Alberto Benedetti Villaneda (born August 29, 1967) is a Colombian politician and journalist. Benedetti-Villaneda is a current senator in the Congress of Colombia for the 2006-2010 term, representing the Social National Unity Party that supports President Álvaro Uribe.

Early life
Benedetti-Villaneda was born in the Caribbean Region of Colombia in the city of Barranquilla. His father is former minister Armando Benedetti. He studied communications at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá and later did post graduate studies in journalism. Between 1990 and part of 1991 he worked as a reporter for the national TV news show QAP Noticias.

Political career
He began working for liberal politician Eduardo Verano De la Rosa in 1991 as advisor during the Constituent Assembly of Colombia which developed and approved the Colombian Constitution of 1991. In 1991 he also worked for Ministry of Economic Development as specialized professional. He also worked for the Intra the now disappeared National highway institute for which he was appointed Secretary General of Public establishments between 1992 and 1993. Worked then for Ecosalud (former Etesa) in 1996 as Commercial Vice-President until 1997.

Councilman of Bogotá
With only 29 years old Benedetti-Villaneda was elected for the City Council of Bogotá, one of the youngest councilmen to ever serve. He was assigned as First Vice-President of the District Cabildo and as President of the Permanent First Commission of the Development Plan, which developed the "Territorial Order Plan for Bogotá" during the mayorship of Enrique Peñalosa.

During the administration of Penalosa, Benedetti denounced over costs on public works such as the construction of bollards and proposed numerous projects including Project 25 of 1998 which established educational workshops in all the capital district educational institutions to prevent alcoholism, smoking and drug addiction.

Chamber of Representatives (1998-2006)
Benedetti decided to run for a seat in the Congress of Colombia, in the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia for the legislative elections of 1998 to represent Bogotá. He was reelected in the legislative elections of 2002 also for the period 2002-2006. During his term he promoted the referendum, the anti-terrorism statute, the military vote, the presidential reelection, the Law of Truth, Justice and Reparation for demobilized illegal combatants in the Colombian armed conflict, among other parliamentary work.

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armando_Benedetti

[Judi Lynn]

6. Oldie, but goodie, posted at D.U. 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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