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Colombia boosts Supreme Court security over attack plot / Photo: Raul ARBOLEDA - AFP
NYSE - LSE
Colombia boosts Supreme Court security over attack plot
Colombia on Friday boosted security at the Supreme Court in Bogota after uncovering an alleged plot to attack it, officials said.
The court's president Gerson Chaverra told journalists police had found a model of the Palace of Justice with ammunition and explosives in a raid conducted on Tuesday.
The presidency announced it was reinforcing security with anti-explosives teams, drones and specialized units in an operation Chaverra said was meant "to prevent a terrorist attack."
Houses targeted in the raid were near the seat of the court in the heart of Bogota, where the presidential residence and Congress are also based.
Neither Chaverra nor the presidency said anything about the alleged motive.
The Palace of Justice was partially destroyed in 1985 when it was stormed by guerrillas from the M-19 movement, to which incumbent President Gustavo Petro belonged in his youth.
To retake control, the military fired at the court with tanks for hours on end. The standoff claimed more than 100 lives, including those of 11 judges.
In February this year, hundreds of pro-Petro protesters surrounded the court building in a move denounced by judges as a "violent and illegal blockade."
T.Barbieri--INP
