Alias Kleiver captured following discovery of ELN flag and cylinders in Barranquilla and Soledad
Authorities detained alias Kleiver, alleged member of Los Costeños, after finding a flag and cylinders related to the ELN in Barranquilla and Soledad.
Arrest in Barranquilla following appearance of ELN symbols in public areas
A person was detained after an ELN flag and several cylinders appeared in the early hours of Thursday at various points in Barranquilla and the municipality of Soledad. According to infobae.com, President Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed the arrest through his X account and identified the detainee as alias Kleiver, identified as a member of the criminal group Los Costeños.
"Since this morning I have been monitoring, together with the Metropolitan Police of Barranquilla, the installation of a flag and cylinders related to the ELN in Barranquilla and Soledad. There is already an arrest!" the president wrote.
Co-ordinated operation with the Prosecutor's Office and search
De la Espriella indicated that the arrest was carried out in co-ordination with the Prosecutor's Office and through a search of a residence. The detainee had an active arrest warrant for aggravated theft. The investigations also identify him as the driver of the vehicle used to transport the cylinders and flag to the points where they were installed.
The authorities are continuing to work to identify other people who may have participated in the transfer and installation of the items. Brigadier General Sandra Liliana Rodríguez Castro, commander of the Metropolitan Police of Barranquilla, is leading the verification efforts to clarify the case.
The findings: no explosives
The first objects were located around 5:00 a.m. on the bridge at Circunvalar Avenue, in the south of Barranquilla, in the section connecting to Soledad. Citizens travelling through the area alerted a patrol unit, which immediately cordoned off the area. Subsequently, two other cylinders were found in a car park near the Soledad Transport Terminal, and other additional items in the Ciudadela 20 de Julio sector.
Following inspection of the cylinders, the authorities confirmed that none contained explosive devices. Rodríguez Castro clarified that the objects did not contain "any type of explosive device", a statement that President De la Espriella reiterated in his communications. As a precautionary measure, the authorities temporarily suspended vehicular traffic on the Murillo Avenue bridge while verifications were being carried out.
The Metropolitan Police of Barranquilla stated in a statement that its units isolated the area to "ensure safety and conduct the corresponding verifications", and that they would provide further details once they had official and verified information.
De la Espriella: "I will not allow them to intimidate Colombians"
The president took the opportunity of confirming the operation to reiterate his position on such acts. "The State in its entirety must act united: the Public Force, the Prosecutor's Office and the judiciary," he said. He also set out as an objective the dismantling of criminal structures, cutting off their sources of financing and bringing their members to justice.
"I will not allow them to intimidate Colombians while I am president," De la Espriella stated, adding that "all apology for crime and all acts of intimidation will be met with a firm response".
Commander Rodríguez Castro, for her part, made an appeal to the public to collaborate with the investigation. "We invite the public to provide any information that will allow us to identify those responsible," she said.
The operation continues with the search for the vehicle that is believed to have been used to transport the items, as well as the other person who, according to the investigation, participated in the incident.
Source: Google News CO — Crime