Terrorist attack at the Gendarmerie School in CABA

An explosion that was recorded this Friday at 1:49 p.m. activated a large security operation at the Escuela Superior de Gendarmería Nacional, located at Avenida Paseo Colón 533, in the City of Buenos Aires. The blast occurred when personnel from the force handled a parcel that had been kept in safekeeping on the 11th floor for four months.

According to the official reconstruction released by the Ministerio de Seguridad Nacional, when the package was opened, a detonation was caused that caused injuries to three officers. Two of them were transported by SAME to Hospital Argerich with no risk to their lives, while a third agent remains in recovery and out of danger. In addition, other people were assisted at the scene as a preventive measure.

In parallel, the hypothesis emerged that three letter bombs had been sent to the institution and that the intended recipient would be the former director of the Escuela Superior, retired comandante mayor Diego Gasparutti. Of those three shipments, only one exploded; the other two were neutralized and were placed at the disposal of forensic experts for analysis.

After the incident, 320 people were preventively evacuated: 120 from the building at Paseo Colón 533 and another 200 from the adjacent property at 525. The perimeter was secured while Policía de la Ciudad, firefighters, and the Brigada Especial Federal de Rescate worked at the scene.

In addition to the package that detonated, there were two other parcels pending opening that, after the explosion, authorities decided not to handle until the forensic examinations were completed. The investigation now seeks to determine the origin of the parcel, how it entered the building, and what characteristics the device had.

The investigation was placed under the responsibility of Marcelo Martínez de Giorgi, head of the intervening federal court. The forensic tasks are being carried out by the División Unidad de Investigación Antiterrorista (DUIA) of the Policía Federal Argentina, which specializes in the analysis and deactivation of explosives. The Ministerio de Seguridad confirmed that it continues to cooperate with the Justice system to clarify the origin of the parcels and determine responsibilities.