More than two dozen injured as bomb explodes by Colombia bull ring

BOGOTA A homemade bomb exploded near Bogota's bullring on Sunday, injuring two dozen police officers and two civilians, Colombian authorities said.

The explosive device, which shattered windows in nearby apartment buildings, appeared to have been left in a sewer outside a new youth hostel popular with foreign backpackers. It was detonated just a few hours before a scheduled bullfight as police in riot gear were gathering ahead of a demonstration by animal rights activists.

Authorities did not give a motive for the blast and said they had no evidence it had anything to do with the resumption of bullfighting at the ring. Some local media speculated the bomb might have been placed by members of the National Liberation Army, the country's second-largest rebel movement, which in recent weeks has carried out small attacks on police targets.

Mayor Enrique Penalosa initially said on Twitter that a police officer was killed. But as the blast scene was controlled, he deleted the tweet and an official police statement said that 26 people had suffered shrapnel and blast injuries, all but two of them officers. All the wounded were taken to three nearby hospitals. Six of those injured were in critical condition with eye injuries, officials said.

“The terrorists won’t intimidate us,” Penalosa said on Twitter from the blast scene. “We are going to do all that's necessary to capture them.”

Juan David Gonzalez, part owner of El Pit youth hostel, said his two dozen guests were shaken by the blast but none was injured.

“We were all inside having breakfast when we heard the blast. Everyone was in shock but luckily nobody inside was hurt,” Gonzalez told The Associated Press.