Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
05/04/2001: Four people were killed and at least twenty-five more were wounded when a bomb comprised of 110 pounds of explosives and placed in a Chevy pickup truck detonated in the parking lot of the Hotel Torre de Cali in Cali, Valle del Cauca department, Colombia around 7pm. Among those guests injured at the hotel were the coach and several members of the Once Caldas professional soccer team. Severe damage was done to the first floor of the hotel, twenty stories of the hotel had their windows blown out, several cars in the area were badly damaged, and buildings four blocks from the explosion had windows broken. Witnesses saw a vehicle being pushed into the hotel parking lot by two men shortly before the explosion. One source reported that the National Liberation Army (ELN) of Colombia claimed responsibility for the attack in a fax sent to a radio station, but this was not confirmed among the other sources.Overview
GTD ID:
200105040003
When:
2001-05-04
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Valle del Cauca
City:
Cali
What
| Target Type: Business | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | Hotel Torre de Cali | ||
| Specific Description | Hotel Torre de Cali and its guests | ||
| Nationality of Target | Colombia | ||
| Target Type: Private Citizens & Property | |||
| Name of Entity | Private citizens and property | ||
| Specific Description | Citizens and property in the vicinity of the explosion | ||
| Nationality of Target | Colombia | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Ransom | No |
| Property Damage | Yes |
| Extent of Property Damage | Unknown |
| Value of Property Damage | Unknown |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Explosives | Vehicle |
| Weapon Details | |
| One of the sources describes the bomb as being comprised of 110 pounds of dynamite and placed in a Chevy pickup truck in the parking lot. | |
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) | No |
| Additional Information | One of the sources mentions that the ELN claimed responsibility, but this claim was not confirmed by the other sources. Witnesses in the vicinity of the explosion saw a vehicle being pushed into the hotel's parking lot by two men shortly before the explosion. The Hotel Torre de Cali was the tallest building in Cali. Reports conflicted as to the number injured, with an earlier report saying eight people, while the two later reports said twenty-five and thirty-people were injured. |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| National Liberation Army of Colombia (ELN) (suspected) | Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Other) |
| Number of Perpetrators | 2 |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | 0 |
| Total Number of Casualties | 4 Fatalities / 25 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities | 4 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities | 0 |
| Total Number of Injured | 25 |
| Number of U.S. Injured | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured | 0 |
Sources
| "Car bomb in Colombia hotel parking lot kills four," Associated Press, May 4, 2001. |
| "Cali car-bomb kills at least four," EFE News Service, May 5, 2001. |
| Phil Stewart, "Car bomb rips through Colombia hotel, 32 injured," Reuters, May 5, 2001. |
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