Colombia bomb attacks rock southwest, senator still critical after shooting

BOGOTA — Colombia’s violence took a new turn on Tuesday as a series of bomb attacks rocked the nation’s southwest, while Senator Miguel Uribe continued fighting for his life days after being shot in the head during a campaign rally.

The incidents have shaken the nation and harkened back to the decades of fear and violence residents lived under caused by armed guerrillas, paramilitary groups and drug traffickers.

The explosions left at least seven people dead and more than 50 wounded, authorities said. While bomb attacks are not uncommon in Colombia, Tuesday’s came on the heels of the assassination attempt on Uribe, a member of the opposition right-wing Democratic Center party and a potential presidential contender.

Uribe, 39, was shot at a campaign event in a public park on Saturday in capital Bogota. He remains in critical condition, the hospital treating him said on Tuesday.

Authorities said on Monday that they were investigating several lines of inquiry in the motive for Uribe’s shooting. A teen has been arrested, and President Gustavo Petro said the suspect had given his testimony to police.

Petro has broadly pointed the finger at an international crime ring as being behind the attack on Uribe, without providing details or evidence.

The explosions on Tuesday were likely caused by a guerrilla group that splintered from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, according to the army and police.