Colombia’s President Ivan Duque said that today’s double bombing at the airport in the city of Cucuta was a terrorist attack.
Two police officers were killed in two explosions that struck Camilo Daza International Airport, in the capital of the northeastern Norte de Santander Department, on Tuesday morning.
The first explosion happened early in the day as the alleged perpetrator tried to get the bomb onto the airport grounds by climbing over a fence. The device is believed to have detonated prematurely, killing the suspect.
“In the morning, at 05:45 local time (13:45 local time) a man carrying an explosive device tried to get through the airport’s gate. At that moment, the bomb went off. The man died. He was a bandit, who had terrorist intent against one of the airport’s facilities,” Colombia’s Defence Minister Diego Molano said on the radio.
The second device went off an hour later when the bomb squad arrived on site and started searching the area. It was reportedly hidden in a bag, with the explosion killing two officers.
Numerous flights have been suspended after two explosions.
“We reject the cowardly terrorist attack that occurred in the city of Cucuta,” Duque wrote on Twitter, adding that the military and police were doing everything to track down those responsible.
