Bomb blast in Colombian capital targets ex-minister, kills 2

"We condemn this attack ... this government will not be thrown off course by these terrorist attacks. We will stay the course and carry out all the investigations needed to find the culprits," Colombian center-right President Juan Manuel Santos said on Tuesday right after the deadly blast.

"This was an attack against former minister Fernando Londono. Unfortunately his driver and a police officer have died," he added, saying the victims were accompanying the minister following a protection program.

The former minister and morning radio host, Fernando Londono, sustained minor injuries and was reportedly in a stable condition after being operated to remove glass shards from his chest, authorities said.

The Tuesday’s bombing was the first fatal blast of a political nature in Bogota in almost a decade. It is speculated that the country’s main leftist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC, was responsible for the attacks.

"We don't know who is behind this attack," he said after a meeting of the National Security Council. However, he added the FARC was behind a car bomb that was found and deactivated elsewhere in Bogota earlier Tuesday.

Londono, 78, was the country’s interior minister from 2002 to 2004 and served in the cabinet of former president Alvaro Uribe, who led a crackdown on the FARC and some other armed groups.

Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro said the bomb was attached to a door of Londono's armored SUV and was set off remotely. The attacker "walked away disguised" and a wig of black hair and a hat were found in the region, he added.