Overview

• An explosives-laden truck detonated outside Cali’s Marco Fidel Suárez military aviation school and a police helicopter was brought down in rural Amalfi within hours, with combined reports citing at least 18 dead and more than 60 injured.
• President Gustavo Petro blamed the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) dissidence of the FARC, attributing the helicopter attack to its Front 36 and describing the Cali bombing as a retaliatory strike linked to operations in the Cañón del Micay.
• A suspect identified as alias ‘Sebastián’ was detained at the Cali scene after being captured by community members, and prosecutors activated a specialized investigation; authorities said two people were placed at the disposal of the Fiscalía.
• Cali’s mayor ordered the militarization of the city, tightened checkpoints, restricted heavy truck movements overnight, and announced a reward of up to 400 million pesos, as local reports indicated a second rigged vehicle was intercepted.
• Petro signaled moves to classify the EMC, Segunda Marquetalia, and the Clan del Golfo as terrorist organizations and called for broader legal and operational actions against the networks he linked to the ‘Junta del Narcotráfico’.