The Department of Justice (DOJ) extradited Andres Fernando Medina Rodriguez, a former Colombian army officer, to the United States and charged him with conspiracy to murder and attempted murder Friday.
The DOJ accused Rodriguez, 39, of spying on a base in Columbia where American soldiers were located in 2021. Rodriguez then allegedly bombed the military forces with a vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) planted in the back of a car. (RELATED: DOJ Convicts Foreign National Over Massive Drug Trafficking Conspiracy)
Colombian National Extradited from Colombia to the United States to Face Charges of Murder Conspiracy and Attempted Murder of U.S. Army Soldiers. @FBI Investigated the case.https://t.co/HACpkWcJGV
— US Attorney SDFL (@SDFLnews) December 1, 2023
“Medina Rodriguez pulled the detonation pin on the explosive and left the area on foot before fleeing on a motorcycle driven by a co-conspirator. As a result of the detonated VBIED, three U.S. Army soldiers were injured,” the DOJ noted in a press release.
The car bomb injured a total of 36 people and left three in critical condition, The Associated Press (AP) said. Rodriguez is a suspected member of the 33rd FARC front, a militant group who refuses to uphold the 2016 Colombian peace accord, Local 10 reported.
If found guilty, Rodriguez could face a life sentence, The AP reported.