US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA9759

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 009759 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/AND AND DS/IP/WHA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2015 
TAGS: ASEC, PTER, PREL, CO, FARC, GOV 
SUBJECT: TWO TERRORIST ATTACKS IN BOGOTA IN TWO DAYS; 
RESPONSIBILITY REMAINS UNCLEAR 
 
REF: BOGOTA 9635 
 
Classified By: Ambassador William B. Wood; 
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) Bogota experienced two terrorist incidents in 48 
hours.  On the evening of October 10, a remote-controlled 
50-kilogram explosive device hidden in a parked car was 
detonated in northern Bogota as Senator German Vargas 
Lleras's motorcade drove past.  Vargas escaped unharmed, but 
nine Colombians were injured.  More than four hundred other 
Colombians sustained property damage.  On October 11, there 
was an unsuccessful mortar attack on Casa Narino, the 
Presidential Palace.  Investigations are ongoing.  The 
Colombian National Police (CNP) suspect that the two attacks 
are related and are the work of the Fuerzas Armadas 
Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC).  Senator Vargas believes 
that other illegal groups may be involved in the attack on 
his life. 
 
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ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF SENATOR VARGAS 
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2.  (SBU) At approximately 10:15 pm on October 10, a car bomb 
exploded as Senator German Vargas Lleras's three-car 
motorcade passed through the Carrera 9 and Calle 71 area of 
northern Bogota.  Vargas had just finished his weekly radio 
program "Hora 20" at the nearby Radio Caracol offices. 
Vargas, who was in the second car, escaped uninjured.  The 
third car, which bore the brunt of the explosion, was 
completely destroyed.  According to press reports, nine 
Colombians were injured in the blast.  Embassy contacts 
confirm that two of the injured were CNP escorts assigned to 
protect Vargas.  This is the second attempt on Vargas's life. 
 In December 2002, Vargas lost three fingers on his left hand 
after opening a letter bomb. 
 
3.  (C) Preliminary investigations indicate that the 
explosion was caused by a command-detonated, shape-charge 
explosive device placed in a parked car along Vargas's 
expected route.  Police said that the bomb was cone-shaped 
and contained 50 kilograms of anfo, a mixture of ammonium 
nitrate and fuel oil.  The device likely was detonated by a 
person who observed Vargas's motorcade drive north on a 
one-way street away from Caracol's offices.  The car used has 
been identified by the Administrative Security Department 
(DAS) as a red Chevrolet Corsa that was parked on the left 
side of Carrera 9 a few minutes before the truck exploded. 
DAS said that the car was sold to unidentified buyers on 
September 11. 
 
4.  (SBU) Members of the Embassy Regional Security Office 
were on the scene within an hour of the explosion.  (Note: 
Many Embassy employees live 5-10 blocks north of the site of 
the attack and heard the explosion.  End Note.)  The CNP 
granted RSO access to the site and permitted examination of 
the remains of the car that contained the bomb.  RSO staff 
said buildings within a two-block radius of the explosion 
suffered damage to windows, including the nearby Hotel 
Lugano, where nine Embassy temporary duty (TDY) personnel 
were housed.  RSO accounted for all TDY personnel within the 
hour; none were injured.  RSO noted that five of the nine TDY 
rooms had window damage and that none of the hotel windows 
were covered with mylar.  RSO and Secret Service personnel at 
the Embassy noted that Vargas's car was armored but the other 
two cars in the motorcade were not.  Embassy convened a 
meeting of the Emergency Action Committee on October 11 (see 
Ref). 
 
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ATTACK ON CASA NARINO 
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5.  (C) On the evening of October 12, one 120mm mortar round 
with tubes was launched at the grounds of Casa Narino, the 
Presidential Palace, from a small house in a residential 
neighborhood.  It did not detonate and was later made safe. 
The back pressure caused by the launch caused the system set 
to sequentially launch nine additional mortar rounds to fail. 
 These munitions were labeled "FARC" and were similar to 
weapons known to be used by the FARC.  An unidentified man 
and woman rented the house approximately four months ago, 
indicating that the failed attack was the product of some 
planning and preparation. 
 
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GOC SUSPECTS THE FARC, BUT RESPONSIBILITY UNCLEAR 
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6.  (C) The CNP suspects that both are attacks are related 
and the work of the FARC.  The CNP stated that the type of 
bomb used against Vargas was consistent with the bombs used 
by the FARC in past attacks, including the 2002 El Nogal 
bombings. The CNP also said that the failed attack on the 
Presidential Palace was similar to the FARC's 2002 
Inauguration Day attack against President Uribe. 
 
7.  (C) In an interview with El Tiempo printed on October 12, 
Vargas implied that "other illegal groups" not related to the 
FARC were responsible for his attempted assassination.  He 
refused to provide details, but stated that an unnamed 
informant told him that the "mafia and some politicians" were 
planning an attack on his life about two weeks ago. 
According to Vargas, the police spoke to the informant but 
did not tell him the results of their investigations.  Vargas 
is a strong Uribe supporter and is considered to be a 
presidential candidate who will follow Uribe's democratic 
security agenda if Uribe is not permitted to run for 
reelection.  Vargas told the media that he does not think 
this is why he was attacked.  He did predict, however, that 
this is the beginning of election season violence.  He warned 
Colombians to "prepare for the worst." 
 
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COMMENT: WAIT FOR THE EVIDENCE 
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8.  (C) At this point, the two attacks seem unrelated, but no 
one is certain.  In each case the type of equipment has led 
the Colombian police to focus their investigation on the 
FARC.  The attack against Casa Narino fits the FARC modus 
operandi better.  We caution readers not to move to 
conclusions about either attack before additional evidence is 
in.  End Comment. 
WOOD