Colombian authorities have arrested a suspected guerrilla leader believed to be behind one of the deadliest bomb attacks on civilians in the country in decades, intensifying concerns over a resurgence of violence ahead of national elections.
Police confirmed Tuesday the capture of Jose Vitonco, accused of orchestrating Saturday’s bombing on a highway in the southwestern Cauca department that left 21 people dead and 56 others injured. The attack has been labeled a “terrorist act” by President Gustavo Petro, who blamed cocaine-trafficking guerrilla factions operating in the region.
According to a police statement, Vitonco is the alleged leader of a local leftist rebel group with ties to Ivan Mordisco, Colombia’s most-wanted criminal and a former FARC commander who rejected the 2016 peace agreement. Authorities described Vitonco as the “main person responsible” for the attack, which targeted a region known for coca cultivation, a key funding source for armed groups.
The arrest took place in Palmira, a city in western Colombia, during a coordinated operation supported by the military. Officers recovered a nine-millimeter handgun and seven mobile phones from the suspect. Images released by authorities show Vitonco wearing a bulletproof vest while being escorted by heavily armed security personnel.
The bombing marks the deadliest attack on civilians since 2003, when the now-defunct FARC rebel group bombed a nightclub in Bogota, killing 36 people. The latest violence has raised fears that Colombia could be slipping back into instability, nearly a decade after the landmark peace deal aimed at ending more than 50 years of conflict.
Security has become a central issue in the lead-up to Colombia’s presidential election scheduled for May 31, with voters increasingly concerned about the growing strength of dissident guerrilla factions. Mordisco, who now leads the largest breakaway rebel group with an estimated 3,200 fighters, has been repeatedly compared by Petro to notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar.