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Colombian policeman killed in attack on checkpoint | Colombian policeman killed in attack on checkpoint |
(about 3 hours later) | |
One policeman has been killed and seven others injured in an attack on a police checkpoint north of the capital Bogota. | One policeman has been killed and seven others injured in an attack on a police checkpoint north of the capital Bogota. |
The officer was shot dead by two assailants on motorcycles while he was on duty in the city's northern outskirts, police said. | The officer was shot dead by two assailants on motorcycles while he was on duty in the city's northern outskirts, police said. |
The attackers planted explosives on the body and set them off when other officers came to investigate, they say. | The attackers planted explosives on the body and set them off when other officers came to investigate, they say. |
Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said the ELN rebel group is likely to have carried out the attack. | |
"The leading theory is that this incident is the heinous and irresponsible work of the National Liberation Army (ELN) to terrorise the civilian population," Mr Villegas told Caracol radio. | "The leading theory is that this incident is the heinous and irresponsible work of the National Liberation Army (ELN) to terrorise the civilian population," Mr Villegas told Caracol radio. |
Power stations have in the past been attacked by the ELN, Colombia's second-largest rebel group. | Power stations have in the past been attacked by the ELN, Colombia's second-largest rebel group. |
But the police said the attack could also be part of a plan by criminal gangs to target police officers. | But the police said the attack could also be part of a plan by criminal gangs to target police officers. |
Attacks on the security forces used to be relatively common in Colombia, with the ELN and the larger Farc rebel group both fighting the state, but they have become rare. | Attacks on the security forces used to be relatively common in Colombia, with the ELN and the larger Farc rebel group both fighting the state, but they have become rare. |
The Farc signed a peace deal with the government in November, putting an end to more than five decades of armed conflict. | The Farc signed a peace deal with the government in November, putting an end to more than five decades of armed conflict. |
The ELN is due to start peace talks with the government in January but the group has so far refused to release a former Congressman it is holding hostage, which the government says is a prerequisite for the talks. | The ELN is due to start peace talks with the government in January but the group has so far refused to release a former Congressman it is holding hostage, which the government says is a prerequisite for the talks. |
There are also a number of powerful criminal gangs operating in Colombia, some of which have in the past called for their members to kill police officers. | There are also a number of powerful criminal gangs operating in Colombia, some of which have in the past called for their members to kill police officers. |
Officials said the assailants' original target may have been an electrical substation near the checkpoint in the sparsely populated area. | Officials said the assailants' original target may have been an electrical substation near the checkpoint in the sparsely populated area. |