At least 11 people were injured on Saturday after a truck loaded with explosives detonated beside a police station in the Colombian border city of Cucuta, less than a week before the inauguration of President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella.
The explosion occurred in Cucuta, near the Venezuelan border, leaving the truck engulfed in flames and damaging nearby buildings.
Journalists at the scene reported seeing police officers, soldiers and residents gathering around the blast site before local authorities confirmed the casualties.
George Quintero, security secretary for the Norte de Santander department, said eight police officers and three civilians were injured in the attack.
“At this time, we have eight police officers and three civilians who have been injured. This was an atrocious, violent act, and what happened is regrettable,” Quintero told reporters.
De la Espriella, a right-wing politician, is scheduled to be sworn in on August 7 in the city of Cali, succeeding Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president.
Backed by the administration of US President Donald Trump, the president-elect has pledged to intensify military operations against guerrilla groups and drug trafficking organisations blamed for Colombia’s worst wave of violence in a decade.
Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, and De la Espriella has proposed closer military cooperation with the United States and Israel to combat armed groups.
Unlike previous inaugurations traditionally held at the Congress building in Bogota, De la Espriella requested that the ceremony take place in Cali, a region affected by persistent violence involving drug cartels and guerrilla factions.
Authorities are expected to deploy about 11,000 soldiers and police officers across land, sea and air to secure the inauguration.
The president-elect had initially sought to take the oath of office at a military base in the conflict-ridden Cauca department, but the request was not approved by outgoing President Gustavo Petro.
The inauguration comes amid heightened security concerns, with guerrilla groups warning the incoming administration over its plan to end the peace negotiations initiated under Petro.
Political violence has intensified in recent years, with bomb attacks, explosive-laden drones and assaults on security personnel becoming more frequent.
In 2025, presidential hopeful and senator Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot during a campaign event in Bogota and later died from his injuries.
De la Espriella has also repeatedly claimed there are plots to assassinate him, further raising concerns over security ahead of his inauguration.