Advertisement

Colombia Offers Reward in Blast

Share via
<i> Times Wire Services</i>

National Defense Minister Fernando Botero, condemning as a “horrendous crime” the bombing in Medellin that killed 29 people, announced a reward Sunday equivalent to about $600,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the attack.

A 22-pound bomb loaded with shrapnel exploded late Saturday at a crowded music festival in a downtown park, wounding more than 200 people.

Botero said it was not immediately clear who might have been responsible for the bombing, adding that officials will release a preliminary report of the investigation in three days.

Advertisement

Botero is the son of the noted artist also named Fernando Botero, whose sculpture in San Antonio park was destroyed by the blast.

City Police Chief Alfredo Salgado said his officers had arrested a young man with five coffee jars filled with black gunpowder in the park about 30 minutes before the explosion.

No other suspects have been detained, he said.

Advertisement