Bogotá "Yesterday our hearts wrinkled (grieved) but we have impetus. My condolences to the families of the 20 people who died in a reprehensible terrorist act," Minister Botero said at the Casa de Nariño, where he gave new information about this execrable act.
On the 20 fatalities, all cadets of the Police, Botero said that their ages range from 17 to 22 years old, and regretted that "in just one second, a terrorist act, committed by the ELN, cut those lives".
Regarding the perpetrator of this terrorist act, the Minister of Defense said that this person was identified as José Aldemar Rojas Rodríguez, 57, known as 'Mocho' or 'Kiko'. This individual was member of the ELN and expert in explosives. He tried to enter the Farc’s lists of members in the frame of the peace negotiations of that group with the National Government.
Rojas Rodríguez is known to have lost his right hand and since 1994 he served as an ELN militiaman in Puerto Nuevo, in the department of Arauca, on the border with Venezuela. He was part of the "Domingo Laín Sáenz" Front, which commits crimes in Arauca where he has attacked on several occasions the petroleum infrastructure.
On the other hand, Botero highlighted the work of the Attorney General's Office that, together with the Police, in a record time of 22 hours, gave the country detailed information about what happened yesterday in the morning at the General Santander School.
Finally, the Minister emphasized that the Government and the Security forces are going to find the perpetrators of this irrational act so that they can be brought to justice. This crime will not remain unpunished.
It should be noted that the alleged mastermind of this attack, Ricardo Andrés Carvajal, would have been captured today at 2:30 a.m. in Los Laches neighborhood, south of Bogotá. The arrest was possible after obtaining an arrest warrant from a judge, as well as several raids in the capital city of the country.
Source: Ministry of National Defense.
