Dutch tourist in Colombia accidental victim of gangland attack

Photo: Colombia National Police/ Flickr
Photo: Colombia National Police/ Flickr

The target of a shooting in a Colombian restaurant in which a Dutch tourist was killed by a stray bullet was a Brazilian drugs criminal, public broadcaster NOS said, based on a statement by the local police and Colombian media.

Newspaper El Espectador  said the intended victim – who was seated at the table next to the woman – was 42-year-old gang leader Afonso Celso Caldas de Lima. He also died in the attack.

Caldas de Lima had been sentenced to 24 years for drug trafficking in 2016 in Brazil but managed to escape and had been on Interpol’s list of most wanted ever since.

The 27-year woman,identified as Manon van de Zande by Columbian media, was from the Gelderland village of Eck en Wiel, the foreign affairs ministry confirmed.

The shooting took place in Leticia, a town on the border with Peru. A number of locals also got hurt. Police have not yet arrested anyone for the attack.

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