MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Santos security for his swearing-in ceremony: 380.000 police and military

Colombian president-elect Juan Manuel Santos

An estimated 160.000 Colombian law enforcement agents will reinforce security for when president-elect Juan Manuel Santos takes office next August 7, said General Orlando Paez Baron, head of the Colombian Police’s Citizens Security´.

To that number must be added another 220.000 members of the three services of the Armed Forces plus other intelligence and security organizations.

A few hours before giving details of next Saturday’s event, security forces in Bogotá aborted a planned attack and arrested several suspects with arms and explosives allegedly for the FARC guerrilla.

According to General Luis Gilberto Ramirez Calle head of Police information, the leader of the FARC guerrillas military branch, “Mono Jojoy” has ordered the distribution of weapons and explosives in Bogotá in anticipation of next Saturday swearing in ceremony of president elect Santos.

Santos, a former Defence ministers marks the end of eight years of President Alvaro Uribe, the most popular leader in Colombia in recent years, who is despised by the terrorists for his determined no nonsense policies in combating insurgents and the drugs trade.

Over the weekend six military were killed in two different incidents apparently as part of a FARC plan, named Pistol, which consists in shooting and killing any police agent or military in uniform in public places to create panic and chaos, among the population.

General Páez Barón said the necessary intelligence measures “have been adopted” to guarantee security in the whole Colombian territory. He added that next Friday all police agents and military forces will be stand by at their stations and barracks.