Bomb Discovered in Buenos Aires Theater Ahead of Uribe Visit

Argentine police found and deactivated a small bomb in a downtown Buenos Aires theater yesterday, just one day before former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe was scheduled to speak at a management conference there. AFP reports that maintenance and security personnel found the bomb on the second floor of the Grand Rex Theater, where Uribe was set to host a cocktail party.

The discovery comes just a week after a bombing in Bogota aimed at Uribe's former interior minister, Fernando Londoño killed two people and injured Londoño himself.

The federal judge charged with investigating the incident, Judge Norberto Oyarbide, told reporters that the small device was fixed to a cell phone and hidden in a lamp. It was reportedly timed to go off at 4:30 p.m. local time, when the venue would be full of people. "It was a simple device but strong enough to cause the death of people nearby," Oyarbide said.

Security at the theater has been heightened in response to the bomb scare, and Uribe plans to go ahead with the event, but this has done nothing to stop speculation over those behind the attempt. Reuters notes that the top suspects are left wing Colombian rebels in either the FARC or ELN, although neither group has claimed responsibility. The news agency quotes Colombian security analyst Alfredo Rangel, who notes that “The guerrillas have tentacles that reach into other countries. It is to be expected that the FARC would have contacts with extreme leftist groups in Buenos Aires that could have helped with this attack."

Had the bombing gone as planned, it would likely have been extremely harmful to Argentina’s international image, which has already taken a beating due to criticism of President Cristina Fernandez’s economic policies, more confrontational stance on the Falkland Islands issue, and concern over Argentina’s deepening relationship with Iran.

Uribe, meanwhile, has been uncharacteristically silent about the episode. Argentina’s Clarin newspaper reports that the usually vociferous ex-president has not mentioned the bomb scare on his Twitter account, which he updates frequently and has used as a soapbox in the past.

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