Bombmaking materials found near farm of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe

December 26, 2005

A neighbor of the Colombian President called police when they found a bag near the road close to President Alvaro Uribe's farm. Soldiers who then inspected the bag found 11 pounds (5 kilograms) of C4 explosives, detonator cords, and other material needed to assemble an explosive device. The President's spokeperson said, "They found all the elements of a bomb but it had not been assembled and it was not ready to be detonated."

Uribe then left the farm and went to stay on another of his farms, this one in his home province Antioquia, for the remainder of the holidays.

Uribe has been the target of multiple assassination attempts, usually by marxist guerillas. He was, for example, the target of assassination attempts while he was campaigning and then again on his inauguration in 2002. His father was assassinated by marxist guerillas. The administration blames the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia for most of the attempts on the president's life.