Duque announces FBI collaboration in car bomb investigation at military base in Cúcuta

(Cnn in Spanish) – The president of Colombia, Iván Duque, reported that the FBI will help the National Police with specialized personnel in the investigation of the explosion of the car bomb in Brigade 30 of the National Army in Cúcuta, on the border with Venezuela.

At a press conference from Cúcuta, Duque reported that at the moment two hypotheses about the authorship of the attack are being handled. “We currently have two hypotheses that are being worked on. One is associated with the Residual Armed Group, GAOR 33, and another is with the National Liberation Army, ELN ”, said the president.

Duque added that he ordered a reward of 500 million pesos, approximately 137,000 dollars, to find the whereabouts of the material and intellectual authors of the attack.

In addition, he said that he ordered the immediate transfer of the Inspector General of the Colombian Army to Cúcuta to carry out a reconstruction of the events at the military base.

The security of the city of Cúcuta has been reinforced at different points with searches and with the support of the army to help the police, and the prohibition of companions on motorcycles in the Catatumbo area has also been ordered, the president said.

Duque also ordered to redouble border control with Venezuela in the entire Department of Norte de Santander between the police and the army and a joint patrol between both forces throughout the city of Cúcuta.

The president announced that there will be a press conference on Wednesday morning to inform the country about the reconstruction of the facts of the attack on the military base.

Duque concluded by saying that anyone who uses the path of terrorism in the country “will have only the path to face all the forcefulness of the State and of justice.”

So far 36 have been injured by the explosion.