A Moroccan man is behind a foiled attack in Bogotá

Colombian police announced on Thursday the arrest of a man who was planning a terrorist attack, with the help of a Moroccan national targeting the US embassy staff in Bogotá, reports El Tiempo.

The man from Cuba is residing illegally in the country. He was plotting to kill officials from the American embassy using a homemade bomb on the 13th of the current month. The plot was foiled thanks to an alert from Washington. The suspect was targeting a restaurant where American officials from the embassy sit.

The terrorist, identified as Raúl Gutiérrez Sánchez, was in touch with a Moroccan national living in Spain, said RCN Radio. In a message, he asked the man to commit his act in the name of ISIS.

With help of his accomplice, Raúl was able to make a homemade bomb containing four kilos of explosive C4 and four others of dynamite. His «associate» even advised him to use a pot containing screws and nails, to cause as much damage as possible at the time of the explosion.

Raúl Gutiérrez Sánchez is being prosecuted for terrorism and conspiracy, for which he pleaded not guilty Wednesday.