A deadly grenade attack struck Colombia’s capital late Wednesday, claiming three lives and injuring nine others, according to Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan. The incident, which echoes a similar assault in the same neighborhood just weeks ago, was carried out by a local gang. “Tonight, an explosive device was hurled into a crowd, tragically leaving three dead and at least nine wounded,” Galan announced in a statement posted on X shortly before midnight (0500 GMT).

The mayor attributed the violence to criminal gangs resisting a sustained crackdown by Bogota police in the San Bernardo neighborhood. “This attack, like others before it in the same area, is a desperate response from gangs trying to cling to power amid our ongoing efforts to dismantle their operations,” he explained. Galan added that he has directed police to ramp up efforts, stating, “I’ve ordered intensified pressure on these groups and the immediate arrest of their leaders.”

Bogota police commander Giovanni Cristancho, speaking to reporters near the scene, described the attack as fallout from a turf war between two rival organized crime factions. San Bernardo, a central district historically known for furniture production, has increasingly become a hub for drug trafficking and use, drawing many unhoused individuals and drug users. Three weeks prior, another grenade explosion in the same area killed a homeless person and injured seven others, underscoring the escalating violence in the neighborhood.