At least four police officers were injured in Bogotá, Colombia, on Friday after protesters demonstrating against U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies fired arrows and hurled explosives outside the U.S. Embassy, authorities said.
Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán confirmed that the demonstration turned violent when “delinquents, some of them hooded, attacked the embassy with incendiary devices, explosives, and arrows.”
“Four police officers were wounded in the face, legs, and arms,” Galán said.
Images released by Colombia’s Defense Ministry showed scenes of chaos outside the heavily guarded embassy compound, including one striking photo of an officer with an arrow lodged in his arm as colleagues rushed to his aid.
The protest was organized by the leftist movement “Congreso de los Pueblos” (People’s Congress), whose spokesperson Jimmy Moreno said the rally was part of a broader campaign against what the group described as U.S. interference in Latin America and the Middle East.
“We are demonstrating for our sovereignty — no more U.S. interference,” Moreno told AFP. “We oppose Washington’s role in the genocide of Palestinians, its meddling in Latin America, and its threats against the Bolivarian model in Venezuela.”
The group had staged peaceful demonstrations throughout Bogotá since Monday, but Friday’s rally outside the U.S. Embassy quickly escalated into violence as some protesters clashed with security forces.
Government Responds with Caution
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has frequently sparred with Trump over foreign policy issues, condemned the attack and ordered heightened security around the U.S. diplomatic mission.
“I have ordered maximum caution with the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “A more radical group has attacked the police guarding the embassy, with several young people injured by arrows.”
In a later statement, the People’s Congress acknowledged the incident but urged the government to form an “anti-imperialist front” in response to U.S. global policies.
The violence marked one of the most serious flare-ups in recent anti-Trump protests across Latin America, where demonstrators have accused the U.S. administration of aggression toward progressive governments in the region and complicity in foreign conflicts.
Authorities said an investigation was underway to identify those responsible for the attacks, while additional police units were deployed around the embassy to prevent further unrest.
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