At least six people, including two police officers, were killed and 12 civilians injured when a car bomb exploded today in a grimy commercial district known for selling smuggled goods in Colombia's capital Bogota.
No group fighting in the country's four-decade guerrilla war immediately claimed responsibility for the blast - the worst car bombing in Bogota since 36 people were killed and 160 wounded at the exclusive Nogal Club in February.
Two officers were killed after arriving in the San Andresito district to investigate a telephone call about a suspicious vehicle. About 110 pounds of explosives packed in an old jeep detonated as they arrived on a motorbike about 8 a.m. (2 p.m. Irish time), also killing four civilians, police said.
Defense Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez warned of more attacks before October 26th local elections that rebels have threatened to disrupt. President Alvaro Uribe, who took power last year promising to restore security, called an emergency security meeting. The government offered a $35,000 reward for information leading to arrests.