A former Colombian military man, identified among those responsible for the attack against President Iván Duque

President Iván Duque inspecting the Army's 30th Brigade after a car bomb attack on June 15.Nicolas Galeano / HANDOUT / EFE

A former military member of the Colombian Army, an official of the National Protection Unit (a state entity in charge of taking care of threatened social and political leaders) and members of the FARC dissidents, are the authors of the attack on President Iván Duque and the attack with car bomb to a military installation last June, has assured the attorney general of Colombia, Francisco Barbosa. In total, 10 people were captured and sent to prison for their alleged participation in both events.

The retired captain Andrés Fernando Medina is, according to the Colombian authorities, the one accused of “designing the criminal plan” against President Duque, which occurred on June 25 and, in addition, who on June 15 entered the truck with explosives in the Brigade 30 from Cúcuta, in an attack that left 34 wounded.

The former military man would have "offered" the plan to the dissidents of the 33rd front of the FARC.

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"Due to his knowledge in aeronautical and military matters, he would have given guidance to the dissidents on the vulnerable points of the helicopter and other technical aspects," said the Prosecutor's Office. All the crew of the Black Hawk were unharmed, but from the moment of the attack there was speculation about how the snipers knew in which helicopter the president was traveling and his knowledge of shooting.

A week before the attack on the Duke, Andrés Fernando Medina was key in the car bomb explosion, according to the judicial investigation. He drove the truck to a town where the explosives were installed and he entered the military brigade; Two hours later, he left the scene and was picked up on a motorcycle by Ciro Gutiérrez, an official from the National Protection Unit. Gutiérrez "would be one of the articulators of multiple terrorist actions by the dissidents of the 33rd front of the FARC in Catatumbo and Cúcuta," added the Prosecutor's Office.

The retired captain's involvement once again focuses on the training and activities of the military after his retirement.

Recently, the participation of 24 ex-military personnel in the assassination of the president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, was known.

"This individual (Medina) who has betrayed the country and the institutions, who with his criminal behavior sought to affect his colleagues in the 30th brigade, cannot stain the heroism of thousands of men from the armed forces," said the Minister of Defense, Diego Molano.

"Planned from Venezuela"

As on other occasions, the Government of Iván Duque insisted on the location of members of the dissidents of the guerrillas in Venezuelan territory and targeted Nicolás Maduro. “This attack was planned from Venezuela. It is necessary to make a reflection in the international community on how the Maduro regime continues to harbor terrorists from where attacks against the Colombian institutions are planned ”, added the defense minister.

In the El Catatumbo region, where both attacks occurred, there is a presence of the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN), FARC dissidents and drug trafficking groups.

According to the Peace and Reconciliation Foundation, at least 27 illegal groups operate on the border.

For this reason, in principle, the hypotheses pointed to an alliance between the ELN and the dissidents.

Now, according to the authorities, the participation of the dissidents from the 33rd front of the FARC, under the command of alias

Jhon Mechas, is clear

.

According to the Colombian government, this man, still a fugitive, operates from Venezuela.

Both were part of the defunct guerrilla and withdrew from the peace negotiations in Havana.

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