BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (BNO NEWS) – A car bomb exploded early Thursday outside a Colombian radio station in Bogota, leaving nine people injured, El Tiempo newspaper reported.

The blast took place at 5:30 a.m. local time outside the building of Radio Caracol, a well-recognized, major station in South America and left a crater of 45 centimeters deep and 2.5 meters diameter.

The blast shattered windows in at least 30 buildings, smashed the facade of a bank and left scraps of a destroyed car scattered in the street. Radio Caracol continued its operations after the blast. All injured are reported to be in stable condition.

Police investigators believe that the car contained 50 kilograms of explosives. The criminals used a Chevrolet Swift which was stolen last July 31 in Plaza de las Americas. The owner has been located and is cooperating in the investigation.

So far no group or individual has attributed the attack but local authorities believe that the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), a large leftist rebel faction in Colombia, are responsible. The suspicion was aroused due to the type of explosives used and the way the attack occurred are both very similar to the explosion in El Nogal, caused by FARC in 2003.

To the scene several high ranking officials arrived, including President Juan Manuel Santos and Bogota Mayor Samuel Moreno, who witnessed the sequels left by the attack and announced that a meeting will take place in order to assess the situation.

"This was a coward terrorist attack. The only thing these people want is to generate fear but they won't succeed," President Santos declared. "We will continue fighting terrorism with everything we have."

Police investigators are recovering evidence at the scene for further investigation. This was the first terrorist attack of this kind in Bogota in the last four years.

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