The mayor of Barranquilla, Alejandro Char, attributed “without the slightest doubt” the responsibility of this act to organizations of drug traffickers.
This is one of the worst attacks in recent years against the police force in a large Colombian city.
The attack, which took place in the early morning, was conducted by several men who apparently laid a bomb, then activated remotely, said the local police commander, General Mariano Botero.
According to a police source, 49 policemen were present in the police station at the time of the explosion: five were killed and 41 wounded. The victims are between 24 and 31 years old.
One of the alleged attackers, a 31-year-old man, was arrested, said Attorney General Néstor Martínez.
“We will indict this individual for five aggravated murders (…), homicides and attempted homicide, terrorism and the use of explosives,” he said at a press conference.
