US embassy cable - 02BOGOTA7088

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 007088 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2012 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PHUM, MOPS, CO 
SUBJECT: FARC INAUGURATION DAY VIOLENCE 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR ANNE W. PATTERSON.  FOR REASON: 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  ON AUGUST 7, PRESUMED MEMBERS OF THE FARC'S 
URBAN MILITIAS CARRIED OUT TERRORIST ATTACKS IN TWO DIFFERENT 
AREAS OF BOGOTA.  THE FIRST ATTACK, WHICH TARGETED A GOC 
MILITARY INSTALLATION, WAS PROBABLY MEANT TO CONFUSE AND 
DISTRACT THE COLOMBIAN SECURITY SERVICES. SEVERAL HOURS 
LATER, THE FARC LAUNCHED A SECOND ATTACK ON THE INAUGURATION 
SITE OF INCOMING PRESIDENT ALVARO URIBE VELEZ AS THE CEREMONY 
BEGAN.  IN ALL, THERE WERE 27 EXPLOSIONS IN BOGOTA RESULTING 
IN THE DEATHS OF 19 INNOCENT BY-STANDERS; OVER 70 OTHERS WERE 
WOUNDED.  THE ATTACKS WERE WELL PLANNED BUT POORLY EXECUTED, 
THUS SPARING BOGOTA FROM WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A CATASTROPHIC 
EVENT.  MEANWHILE, FARC BLOCS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY LAUNCHED 
SMALL-SCALE ATTACKS THAT CAUSED NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OR HARM 
TO CIVILIANS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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DIVERSIONARY ATTACK IN NORTHWEST BOGOTA 
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2.  (C) AT APPROXIMATELY 1135 HOURS ON AUGUST 7 -- THE 
MORNING OF PRESIDENT ALVARO URIBE'S MUCH-ANTICIPATED 
INAUGURATION -- SEVERAL EXPLOSIONS WERE REPORTED NEAR THE 
JOSE MARIA CORDOBA MILITARY ACADEMY IN THE NORTHWEST AREA OF 
BOGOTA.  IT WAS LATER DETERMINED THAT APPROXIMATELY EIGHT 
IMPROVISED MORTAR ROUNDS WERE LAUNCHED FROM A RESIDENCE 
LOCATED AT CALLE 99A, 57A-15.  THE IMPROVISED MORTAR ROUNDS 
DETONATED IN AREAS ADJACENT TO THE MILITARY ACADEMY AND 
INJURED SEVERAL CITIZENS. 
 
3.  (C) COLOMBIAN AUTHORITIES WERE INITIALLY CONFUSED BY 
REPORTS OF A GOLD BMW, WHICH WITNESSES CLAIMED DROVE AROUND 
THROWING EXPLOSIVES.  COLOMBIAN NATIONAL POLICE LATER 
SEARCHED THE ABOVE RESIDENCE AND DISCOVERED 100 METAL 
LAUNCHING TUBES.  OF THE 100, ONLY 8 HAD FIRED. 
 
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ATTEMPTED ATTACK ON PALACE 
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4.  (C) AT APPROXIMATELY 1510 HOURS, SEVERAL MORE EXPLOSIONS 
WERE REPORTED IN THE AREA OF THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE AT THE 
START OF THE PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL CEREMONY.  IT WAS LATER 
DETERMINED THAT APPROXIMATELY SIX IMPROVISED MORTAR ROUNDS 
WERE LAUNCHED FROM A RESIDENCE LOCATED AT CARRERA 26B, 4-44. 
THE IMPROVISED MORTAR ROUNDS DETONATED IN THE AREAS ADJACENT 
TO THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE.  ONE LANDED IN THE PARKING LOT, 
WOUNDING SEVERAL SECURITY OFFICIALS, AND ANOTHER ROUND STRUCK 
THE FACADE OF THE BUILDING, CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE.  THE OTHER 
MORTAR ROUNDS LANDED IN A POOR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD AND 
KILLED 19 PEOPLE. 
 
5.  (C) COLOMBIAN AUTHORITIES SEARCHED THE ABOVE RESIDENCE 
AND DISCOVERED 80 LAUNCHING TUBES.  OF THE 80, ONLY 6 HAD 
FIRED.  ACCORDING TO ATF PERSONNEL WHO WENT TO THE SITE, THE 
LAUNCHING TUBES WERE LAID IN CEMENT ON A BACK PATIO.  THE 
PATIO WAS COVERED BY A CORRUGATED PLASTIC ROOF, WHICH 
PREVENTED OVERHEAD SURVEILLANCE FROM DETECTING THEIR 
PRESENCE. 
 
6.  (C) MILITARY AND POLICE SOURCES BLAME THE FARC URBAN 
MILITIAS.  NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE.  ACCORDING TO THE ATF, 
THE DEVICES AT BOTH LOCATIONS WERE IDENTICAL, IMPROVISED 
MORTAR ROUNDS CONSISTING OF APPROXIMATELY ONE KILOGRAM OF 
ANFO EXPLOSIVES ENCASED IN AN IRON SHELL WITH DIRECTIONAL 
FINS WELDED ON.  THE ROUNDS WERE LAUNCHED FROM STEEL TUBES 
APPROXIMATELY 2.5 METERS TALL AND 120 MM IN DIAMETER.  THE 
WELL-MADE LAUNCHING MECHANISM FAILED ONLY BECAUSE THE FARC 
USED A 12 VOLT BATTERY TO IGNITE THE CHARGE.  ACCORDING TO 
THE ATF, IF THE BATTERY HAD NOT FAILED, ALL OF THE MORTARS 
WOULD HAVE FIRED.  MEANWHILE, IN BOGOTA AND THE SURROUNDING 
AREA, COLOMBIAN SECURITY FORCES DEACTIVATED FIVE BOMBS, AND 
NINE OTHER EXPLOSIVE DEVICES OR GRENADES EXPLODED WITHOUT 
INCIDENT. 
 
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ATTACKS ELSEWHERE IN COLOMBIA 
----------------------------- 
 
7.  (C)  ACCORDING TO THE COLOMBIAN MILITARY, IN OTHER PARTS 
OF COLOMBIA ON AUGUST 7, THE FARC DETONATED SEVERAL EXPLOSIVE 
DEVICES, DESTROYED POWER TOWERS, BLEW UP PORTIONS OF THE GAS 
PIPELINE, AND INITIATED COMBAT IN SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS WITH 
THE COLOMBIAN ARMY.  THREE EXPLOSIVE DEVICES DETONATED IN 
CALI, CAPITAL OF VALLE DEL CAUCA DEPARTMENT.  IN ARMENIA, 
CAPITAL OF QUINDO DEPARTMENT, FARC MILITIAS DETONATED AN 
EXPLOSIVE DEVICE AND THREW A GRENADE THAT CAUSED SOME DAMAGE. 
IN ADDITION, THE FARC DOWNED EIGHT ELECTRIC TOWERS IN 
RISARALDA, ARAUCA, AND BOYACA DEPARTMENTS, AND BLEW UP A 
SECTION OF THE GAS PIPELINE NEAR VILLANUEVA, GUAJIRA 
DEPARTMENT.  THE SAME DAY, THE FARC INITIATED COMBAT WITH THE 
COLOMBIAN ARMY IN ARAUCA, TOLIMA, AND CUNDINAMARCA 
DEPARTMENTS. 
 
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COMMENT 
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8.  (C) THE FARC, INTENT ON PULLING OFF A HIGH-PROFILE 
ATTACK, UNSUCCESSFULLY SOUGHT TO STEAL THE SHOW FROM URIBE ON 
INAUGURATION DAY.  WHILE THE MILITARY AND POLICE HAD 
IMPRESSIVE SECURITY IN PLACE, THE FARC STILL MANAGED -- 
PROBABLY OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME -- TO SNEAK AN IMPRESSIVE 
AMOUNT OF MORTARS WITHIN ABOUT A KILOMETER AND A HALF OF THE 
INAUGURAL SITE.  IN THIS CASE, LUCK WAS ON THE COLOMBIAN 
SECURITY FORCE'S SIDE.  THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN 
CATASTROPHIC HAD ALL THE LAUNCHING TUBES FIRED.  THE MAYOR OF 
BOGOTA AND MANY OTHER OFFICIALS HAVE OBSERVED THAT THE PUBLIC 
DID NOT "NOTICE" ANY ACTIVITY, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY SURPRISING 
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR THE MILITARY SCHOOL -- MIDDLE-CLASS 
AND FAR MORE SETTLED THAN THE TRANSIENT NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR THE 
PRESIDENTIAL PALACE. 
 
PATTERSON 

 
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