The intelligence services of Colombia have alerted about a presumed "terrorist plan" by the guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN), with the aim of disrupting the days before and after the inauguration of the elected president, Abelardo de la Espriella, scheduled for this Friday, August 7.
According to intelligence reports accessed by the radio station Caracol Radio, the coordination of these actions would fall on Gustavo Aníbal Giraldo, alias 'Pablito', considered the third commander of the ELN. The plans would include attacks against military and police bases, among them facilities similar to the police station that suffered an attack last Saturday in Cúcuta.
In that attack, at least ten people, including seven police officers, were injured after the explosion of a car bomb near a police station in Cúcuta, the capital of the department of Norte de Santander. The government officially attributed the authorship of this attack to the ELN, to which several additional explosions and a burst of gunfire were later added.
According to the information handled by the authorities, the ELN's offensive would not be limited exclusively to security forces targets, as they would also have civilian infrastructures and other facilities classified as critical in their sights.
De la Espriella, who has already condemned these attacks, will assume the presidency of Colombia this Friday, August 7, at the Universidad Santiago de Cali, in an event marked by strict security measures. After confirming his electoral victory, he has reiterated to these armed groups that the only option left for them is to lay down their arms.