Police officers work at the site of an explosion targeting a police station in Cali, Colombia, on 10 June 2025. Southwest Colombia was rocked by a string of explosions and gun attacks that left at least three people dead Tuesday, police said, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack designed to sow terror. (Photo by CHRISTIAN ESCOBARMORA/AFP via Getty Images)

19 Bombings and Shootings in Colombia Leave 7 Dead, More Injured

By Sara Mosqueda

11 June 2025

A set of coordinated bombings and shootings throughout and around a southwest city of Cali, Colombia, left at least seven people dead and wounded around 50.

According to local authorities, the attackers set off at least 19 attacks on 10 June, targeting police facilities, municipal buildings, and civilian victims. The attackers used car bombs, motorcycle bombs, rifle fire, and possibly a drone to carry out the attacks, BBC reported. The attackers placed bombs in cars and motorcycles that were stationed near police stations, according to the Associated Press.

The victims’ identities have not yet been released, but among the fatalities were two police officers and two civilians. Among the injured, at least 19 victims were civilians, according to police.

The attacks occurred in Cali, the nation’s third-largest city, as well as in the nearby towns of Corinto, El Bordo, and Jamundi, according to Al Jazeera.

Local authorities claimed that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was behind the attacks. Once a significant influence, FARC’s hold waned after signing a peace deal with the Colombian government in 2016. However, a faction of FARC, known as FARC-EMC (Central General Staff), is led by former FARC members who splintered off after the peace deal and is known to operate in the Cali region. Peace talks between the government and FARC-EMC broke down in 2024 after a series of attacks against indigenous communities.

“in a statement on Tuesday, the EMC warned the public to stay away from military and police installations, but stopped short of claiming responsibility,” The Guardian reported.

Days before the attacks, a presidential candidate survived an attempted assassination in Bogotá, the nation’s capital city. On 7 June, Miguel Uribe Turbay, a conservative senator, was shot twice in the head at a campaign event and remains hospitalized and in critical, but stable condition.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene of the Uribe shooting. The suspect claimed he is not guilty of the shooting, but authorities believe he may have been hired by another party.