By Deutsche Welle
Sep 11, 2024, 03:12 AM EDT
At least 10 people, eight of them civilians and two police officers, were injured on Tuesday when a grenade exploded in the Patio Bonito sector in southern Bogotá, in events that authorities blame on criminal gangs, said the mayor of the Colombian capital, Carlos Fernando Galán.
“At 6:07 p.m. (…) they threw a grenade, affecting two police officers who were present here, due to the effort that is being made in this area, and eight other people,” Galán said in statements to the press.
Territory of criminal gangs
The place where the attack took place is an area where, according to the Mayor’s Office, criminal gangs such as Tren de Aragua, Los Estamos Nuestros, and Los Caucanos, among others, are present and fighting for territorial control.
“This is a territory that has been prioritized in the fight against crime (…) it is one of the critical points and here we have dealt strong blows in recent months,” said Galán, recalling that 90 people linked to these armed groups have been arrested there.
The Tren de Aragua, a gang that was born in Venezuela and has spread to several Latin American countries, is pointed out by the authorities in Bogotá as one of those responsible for the increase in violence in the city, mainly through robberies, extortion of merchants and homicides.
Continue reading:
- “Colombia is advancing a coup d’état,” says Gustavo Petro
- Five criminals accused of sexually exploiting minors sentenced to 20 years in prison in Colombia
- Three children and five adults killed in bus accident in Colombia