3. El Nogal Nightclub Attack Strikes Fear Into The Rich
The El Nogal nightclub attack in 2003 sent a clear message to the Colombian people: you’re not safe anywhere. Most of the war has been fought far away from the Colombian capital of Bogota, but the El Nogal attack struck right at the heart of the primate city. The El Nogal club was (and is) a high end and elite night club. Towering nine stories high, the club was one of the most chic hangouts in town.
That helps explain why it was targeted. The FARC wanted to go directly after Colombia’s elite, and the nightclub would hit them where they were most vulnerable. It would also send a message that no one was safe at any time. Even nights of leisure could result in death.
In order to maximize casualties, FARC rebels drove a car into the third floor parking garage of the night club. The car was laden with 200 KG of explosives. In the resulting blast 36 people were killed and over 200 were injured. Approximately 600 people were believed to be in the building at the time.
Colombian authorities believe that it was John Freddy Arellan, a squash instructor, who drove the car into the club. Arellan was with his uncle at the time and had only weeks earlier acquired membership to the club. Authorities suspect that Arellan believed that the bomb would be detonated only after he left the club. Instead, it appears that the FARC rebels detonated it while Arellan was still in the car.
The FARC denied responsibility for the attack, and claimed that it was state-sponsored terrorism designed to build support for the government. In 2008, however, Colombia authorities released documents from the computer of slain FARC leader Raul Reyes. Allegedly, Reyes called the act formidable, and made the case for denying responsibility.
Before the bombing, the FARC had also warned that it planned to strike against the country’s elite, providing more evidence that the FARC was behind the attack.