Violence in the department of Arauca has claimed the lives of two public servants in an attack that has been described by the Government as an act of extreme brutality.
During the afternoon of this Thursday, February 5, the advance vehicle that protected the senator of the ASI party, Jairo Castellanos, was ambushed in the road corridor that connects the municipalities of Fortul and Tame.
The Minister of the Interior, Armando Benedetti, confirmed that the legislator is safe in Yopal, but deeply affected by the loss of his trusted men.
According to the preliminary report of the National Protection Unit (UNP), the murdered bodyguards belonged to the National Police and the same protection entity.
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The director of the UNP, Augusto Rodríguez, revealed that the attack was not a simple harassment, but rather a brutal execution, in which the criminals would have forced the officials to stop the truck before shooting them down.
The official vehicle registers multiple rifle impacts, which shows that the bodyguards tried to resist the assault before being killed by the criminal group, whose identity has yet to be established.
The attack occurred while the bodyguards were moving from Norte de Santander to Casanare to pick up Senator Jairo Castellanos, who was carrying out political work in the region.
“I spoke with the senator, he was crying for the death of his bodyguards; there is a truck that remains lost after the attack,” said Minister Benedetti.
Army troops and units of the National Police are moving towards the scene of the events at this time, facing access difficulties due to the presence of illegal armed groups. Meanwhile, in the Congress of the Republic, officials have rejected this criminal act and demand security guarantees for political exercise in the territories, especially given the electoral risk alert that persists in the country.
I have spoken with Senator Jairo Castellanos @JairoSenador22 after the attack on one of the vans in its security scheme. He is well, but deeply moved by the cruel murder of members of his scheme. The Police and the Government will guarantee your… pic.twitter.com/uHLEQOMXqH
— Armando Benedetti (@AABenedetti) February 5, 2026
Photo taken from social networks.
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