Blast outside Bogota bullring targets police: mayor

A bomb blast outside a bullring in Colombia's capital Bogota on Sunday was targeting local police instead of bullfighting fans, Bogota Mayor Enrique Penalosa said later on Sunday.

The explosion in the city's La Macarena neighborhood injured at least 26 people, 24 of whom were police officers, the daily Caracol News network reported.

"Anti-bullfighting activists have nothing to do with it," Penalosa was quoted by RCN Radio news as saying at a press conference.

"It's a bomb, a device made by people with technical knowledge of explosives," he added.

The bomb had been planted in the pre-dawn hours, before the security was set up outside the bullring by someone or some groups specifically targeting the police, the mayor said.

Penalosa, an environmentalist who has campaigned to ban the blood sport in his city, said it was unlikely for animal lovers to resort to such an extreme and violent tactic.

Animal rights activists had been expected to protest outside the bullring later on the same day, media reported.

Six injured officers were in serious condition. Endit