SANTIAGO – The explosion at a bus stop in Santiago Centro last Friday has been claimed by a group of so-called “eco-terrorists”. The Individualistas Tendientes a lo Salvaje, translated to ‘Individuals Tending to the Wild’, released their claim on a blog, showing a photo of the explosive used in the attack. Authorities have not been able to confirm the claim so far.
On Friday morning, at a Transantiago bus stop on the corner of Curicó and Vicuña Mackenna, a device exploded, leaving five people injured. One 40-year-old woman was gravely injured – during an operation a piece of metal of around 25cm was pulled out of her leg.
Shortly after the attack, a group of eco-terrorists known as Individualistas Tendientes a lo Salvaje (ITS), or ‘Individuals Tending to the Wild’, released a statement on their blog claiming responsibility for the attacks. Along with the statement, photos and a video of the explosive presumably used at the attacks appeared.
In the statement, the ITS said it doesn’t target a specific group. “We do not care about social status. Rich, poor: any filthy civilized human deserves to die. Therefore, we do not demand anything. We hate modern human behavior; their approval of progress and technology disgusts us. Let everyone explode!”
According to the statement, the group wants to make up for the destruction of nature and the exploitation of natural resources. “For each felled tree, for each forest destroyed, for each extinct animal: let them explode. […] We have attacked indiscriminately since 2016. […] We operate internationally with accomplices in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Scotland, Spain and Greece.”
In the statement, the ITS also vows more attacks in the future.
BREAKING: Explosion at bus stop in Santiago injures five people
Earlier attacks
Although ITS seems to be a very small extremist movement – despite emphasizing international ties – it is not the first time the group makes headlines in Chile. In 2017, it claimed to be behind an attack on the ex-president of copper company Codelco, Óscar Landerretche.
The former CEO of Codelco received a package delivered to his home, which exploded when he tried to open it. He and his domestic workers suffered minor injuries after the explosion.
Authorities still investigate attack
Meanwhile, the Chilean authorities haven’t confirmed if the ITS is really behind the explosion in Santiago. The Chilean police is still investigating the background. In the hours after the attack, Internal Affairs minister Andrés Chadwick did confirm that the government treats the attack as terrorism.
Editor-In-Chief Boris van der Spek is the founder of Chile Today.