The 2003 El Nogal Club bombing was a

terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war a ...

that occurred in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. On 7 February 2003, a car containing 200 kg of explosives that was parked in a garage on the third floor of the

multi-story A building or edifice is an enclosed structure with a roof, walls and windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout ...

''El Nogal'' club, an elite, high-class social and business club, exploded, killing 36 people and wounding more than 200. There were approximately 600 people in the building at the time of the explosion. The attack was the worst in Colombia for more than a decade. No group publicly claimed responsibility for the bombing. The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

adopted Security Council Resolution 1465 on 13 February 2003 condemning the attack. Colombian Vice President

Francisco Santos Calderón Francisco Santos Calderón (born 14 August 1961), also known as Pacho Santos, is a Colombian politician and journalist. Santos was elected as Álvaro Uribe's running mate and became Vice President in 2002. Santos was re-elected in 2006 for a se ...

blamed the

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

group

FARC The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (, FARC–EP or FARC) was a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964. The FARC-EP was officially founded in 1966 from peasan ...

, saying that there was "not the slightest doubt" that they were responsible and that the government had enough evidence of its involvement. Colombian authorities and investigators, with the aid of

ATF The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention ...

members from the U.S., inspected the scene and the remains of the car bomb. Colombian prosecutors linked FARC to the bombing through the participation of, among others, John Freddy Arellan, a

squash Squash most often refers to: * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita'' Squash may also refer to: Sports * Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...

instructor who died in the bombing. According to the government, Arellan had recently acquired membership in the club and drove the car containing the explosives, a vehicle which had been bought in late 2002 using false documents, into the parking area. The government claimed Arrellan would have been employed by FARC's "Javier Paz", not knowing that the bomb would be detonated with him and his uncle still inside the club.Boletín de prensa No. 237
On 10 March 2003, FARC denied any responsibility in the attack and described it as "

state terrorism State terrorism is terrorism conducted by a state against its own citizens or another state's citizens. It contrasts with '' state-sponsored terrorism'', in which a violent non-state actor conducts an act of terror under sponsorship of a state. ...

", claiming that the

government of Colombia The Government of Colombia is a republic with separation of powers into executive, judicial and legislative branches. Its legislature has a congress, its judiciary has a supreme court, and its executive branch has a president. The citi ...

planted the bomb in order to unite the country against them. In March 2008, Colombian authorities released documents said to be found in a computer belonging to the slain FARC commander "

Raúl Reyes Luis Edgar Devia Silva (30 September 1948 – 1 March 2008), better known by his ''nom de guerre'' Raúl Reyes, was a leader, Secretariat member, spokesperson, and advisor to the Southern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–P ...

", including a 13 February 2003 message in which "Reyes" called the attack a "formidable act" and mentioned the "political convenience of denying responsibilities".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:El Nogal Club Bombing, 2003 Mass murder in 2003 FARC actions Terrorist incidents in South America in 2003 2003 murders in Colombia Car and truck bombings in Colombia Car and truck bombings in 2003 21st century in Bogotá Mass murder in Bogotá Terrorist incidents in Colombia in the 2000s Military history of Bogotá Nightclub bombings February 2003 in South America 21st-century mass murder in Colombia Building bombings in Colombia 2003 building bombings