Colombia offers record $1.4m-reward for rebel it blames for deadly bomb attack

Key Points:

• Colombia's Defence Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced a record 5 billion peso ($1.4 million) reward for information leading to the capture of rebel leader Iván Jacob Idrobo Arredondo, known as "Marlon," suspected of orchestrating a deadly bomb attack on the Pan-American Highway that killed 20 people.
• The attack, which occurred just over a month before the presidential elections scheduled for May 31, is one of the deadliest targeting civilians in recent years and involved a large explosion that destroyed several vehicles and created a massive crater.
• "Marlon" is part of a dissident rebel group led by Iván Mordisco, a former Farc member who rejected the 2016 peace deal and is now Colombia's most wanted dissident rebel leader involved in illegal mining, extortion, and drug trafficking.
• Governor Octavio Guzmán condemned the attack as the most brutal against civilians in decades, while President Gustavo Petro labeled the perpetrators as terrorists and ordered additional troops to the affected region.
• With Petro's presidential term ending in August and barred from re-election, left-wing candidate Iván Cepeda, who supports negotiation with rebels, currently leads polls against right-wing opponents advocating a tougher stance on rebel groups.