Overview
- The dissident FARC offshoot known as the EMC said late Tuesday it carried out the Cauca highway blast that killed 21 people and injured 56, calling it a “tactical error” during Saturday’s clashes.
- Police on Tuesday arrested Jose Vitonco in Palmira and described him as the local ringleader tied to Iván Mordisco and the main person responsible for the bombing.
- Officials offered a record $1.4 million reward for Iván Jacob Idrobo Arredondo, or “Marlon,” identified as the bombing’s alleged coordinator, and deployed 25,000 security personnel to the southwest.
- Investigators are probing President Gustavo Petro’s claims of transnational links, including unconfirmed intelligence that the explosives may have come from Ecuador and direction by a broader drug network.
- The attacks have turned the campaign into a security test less than five weeks from voting, with hardline candidates gaining attention as violence in coca-growing Cauca and Valle del Cauca dominates debate.