AP News Report:
Explosions rocked Colombia's capital Wednesday as hard-liner Alvaro Uribe was sworn in as president of this troubled Latin American country, and witnesses said at least 12 people were killed.
Three huge blasts shook the area around Bogota's parliament building, minutes before Uribe took the oath of office from Senate leader Luis Alfredo Ramos. Witnesses reported seeing at least 10 bodies lying in the street and in a house in Cartucho — a neighborhood barely five blocks from parliament,
Two others died in another explosion near parliament, the attorney general's office said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the explosions. To avert any rebel assassination plots, Uribe had forgone the traditional outdoor ceremony in Bogota's colonial central plaza and instead took the oath of office in parliament. Uribe is promising a crackdown on leftist rebels.
Army troops quickly sealed off Cartucho after the explosions, and there was no immediate official comment.
Troops had patrolled the streets and combat helicopters thundered overhead during the inauguration.
Hours earlier, small bombs exploded in several neighborhoods of the capital, slightly injuring six people and blowing out windows and chunks of sidewalk. No one immediately claimed responsibility.
Amid unconfirmed police reports that rebels had planned to crash a plane into parliament, Bogota's airspace was closed and an American P3 plane staffed with U.S. Customs Service and Colombian air force personnel patrolled overhead.
The White House had no immediate comment on the explosions in Cartucho.
Hopes were high that Uribe can end the war that has sapped the potential of Colombia, a gateway between Central and South America that is a three-hour flight from Miami.
Uribe inherits a 38-year-old war that kills some 3,500 people every year. His father was shot to death during an apparent rebel kidnapping attempt in 1983. Uribe has been the target of more than a half dozen assassination attempts, including a deadly attack on his motorcade during the election campaign.
He faces a country in economic turmoil. About 64 percent of Colombians live below the poverty line and more than 17 percent of city dwellers can't find jobs.
Right after being sworn in, Uribe planned to propose a referendum to almost halve the number of lawmakers and merge the two houses of parliament.
The blatant attack on the entrenched political class could provoke a pitched battle with the same congress he needs to support his other reforms.
Wednesday's inauguration was attended by several Latin American presidents. Uribe enjoys broad support from the White House, which sent a delegation that included Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and U.S. drug czar John Walters.
Frustrated, most Colombians believe that now is the time for tougher approach.
``The guerrillas don't want to talk,'' said shopkeeper Juan Manuel Martinez. ``Uribe is going to take us into war, because now we have to fight to save Colombia.''
