The Andino Mall
bombing happened on the afternoon of 17 June 2017 in
Bogotá,
Colombia. Three young women were killed and 9 other people were injured. One of those killed was
French; the other two were
Colombian. The two Colombians died in the hospital due to their injuries.
[ The bomb exploded behind a toilet bowl of the second floor women's bathroom at approximately 5 pm.][
]
Responsibility
Police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
arrested eight members of a small far-left urban guerilla
An urban guerrilla is someone who fights a government using unconventional warfare or domestic terrorism in an urban environment.
Theory and history
The urban guerrilla phenomenon is essentially one of industrialised society, resting both ...
group called the People’s Revolutionary Movement (''Movimiento Revolucionario del Pueblo'', MRP) a week after the bombing. The group has only been known since 2015 and are suspected of 14 other attacks in Colombia. The organisation has denied any responsibility in the attack.
Reactions
In response to the bombing, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.
An economist by profession and a journalist by trade ...
said "we won't let terrorism fright us". Bogotá mayor Enrique Peñalosa
Enrique Peñalosa Londoño (born 30 September 1954) is a Colombian politician. He was mayor of Bogotá from 1998 until 2001 and elected again in 2015 for the 2016–2019 term. He was prominently featured in the Panama Papers for use of off-s ...
called it a "cowardly terrorist bombing". The United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
condemned the attack and said the following: "The UN in Colombia regrets and repudiates this act of violence and reiterates that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes a threat to peace and security. We remain determined to continue to support Colombians and their government in their efforts to build sustainable and lasting peace in the country." President of France Emmanuel Macron tweeted on the French woman that died, "At 23, a volunteer in Bogota, a compatriot lost her life there in an explosion. Sadness and condolences for her loved ones." Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto
Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican politician who served as the 64th president of Mexico from 1 December 2012 to 30 November 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party ...
also expressed himself in a tweet in Spanish saying "México condena enérgicamente el acto de violencia cometido en Bogotá. Nuestra solidaridad con los familiares de las víctimas y los heridos." (Mexico strongly condemns the act of violence committed in Bogotá. Our solidarity with the families of the victims and those injured.) There were also other countries and ambassadors that publicly condemned the attack through social media.
Victims
References
{{coord missing, Colombia
2017 murders in Colombia
21st century in Bogotá
Attacks on buildings and structures in 2017
Building bombings in Colombia
Events in Bogotá
Left-wing terrorism
Improvised explosive device bombings in 2017
June 2017 crimes in South America
June 2017 events in South America
Murder in Bogotá
Shopping mall bombings
Terrorist incidents in Bogotá
Terrorist incidents in Colombia in the 2010s
Attacks in South America in 2017