By Ingrid Bachmann
In the wee hours of Wednesday, Aug. 12, a car bomb exploded in the financial district of Bogota, the capital of Colombia. The explosion, which did not kill anyone, occurred in front of a building complex that was home to Caracol Radio, one of the most important stations in the country, and the Spanish news agency EFE, reported the Associated Press and BBC.
According to El Espectador, nine persons were injured in the explosion, and the buildings were severely damaged. EFE added that the explosion left a hole in one of the main streets of the city.
Caracol reported that the Attorney General suggested the attack was aimed at the radio station and that it was meant to intimidate the media. Police, however, said it was premature to say who was responsible and the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP by its Spanish initials) said there was no way to be sure yet if the attack was related to Caracol's journalistic work.
Journalists at the station were working on the early morning news at the time of the explosion. The director of the 6 a.m. program "Hoy por Hoy," or "Day by Day," Darío Arismendi, broadcast the explosion live, added El Espectador.
President Juan Manuel Santos visited the affected area. “It's a cowardly terrorist act. All they wanted was to create fear, but they didn't succeed," he said, as quoted in El Tiempo.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
