Security update

October 12: an Australian stabbed in Medellín, and the first count from the Catatumbo bombing

Here's what happened since the last update, and what each one means.

October 12, 2026 2 items

This update is a snapshot. It shows where things stood on its date. Numbers get revised and stories move on, so read it as of the date at the top.

How to read this page. Every fact has a source you can open. The What it means lines are my reading of the facts, not published figures. My view is my opinion, and it is labeled that way. If a source has no link, it is because I could not open the page to verify it.

1An Australian stabbed 25 times in Laureles, Medellín

In the early hours of Sunday, October 11, an Australian man, 46, was found in Laureles, Medellín, with 25 stab wounds. He's in the Incodol clinic in critical condition. According to preliminary information, he had been at the Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC Colombia) festival. Authorities are looking at a possible robbery, and a witness says he was thrown from a vehicle into the street. Police are checking public and private security cameras to find the vehicle. No one has been arrested.

What it means for usThis happened to a foreigner on his way home from a big night event. If you go out at night in Medellín, book your ride home before you leave, travel with someone you know, and don't walk the streets alone in the early hours.

SourceEl Tiempo, Oct 11, 2026

2The Catatumbo bombing: 4 bodies found so far

Judicial police reached the site of Sunday's bombing of the Front 33 camp, between Tibú and El Tarra, in the afternoon. El Tiempo's sources say they recovered 4 bodies and found 12 rifles, and that they're still digging because more people may be buried. It isn't confirmed whether the target, the front's leader, alias "Andrey Avendaño", was among the dead. There's no official report yet.

What it meansOn Sunday, the president promised a report on the results during the day. As of Monday morning, he hadn't posted it.

SourceEl Tiempo, Oct 11, 2026

On social media

His last security post was the Cajibío operation at 7:41 PM on Sunday, with a photo of the 2 dead in white bags: 81,000 views and 4,900 likes. The replies celebrate it, and the bags are the theme: "The only thing that worries me about these back-to-back operations is one thing... that the white bags will run out." (5 likes) Another: "Terrorists down, weapons destroyed and a lab dismantled. Their money is cut off, their power taken away. In Cajibío, they're being hit with determination. Firm for the homeland!" (10 likes) Critics were few, and got almost no likes. He hasn't posted about the stabbing in Medellín. This comes from the top replies on X, not a poll.

BasisHis posts on X and Facebook, and the top replies under them. Not a poll.

My view

I support most of this. But it doesn't go far enough. These groups use any space they're given to reset and grow. They need to be crushed, not contained.