Segura, Javier (1973-2004)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2004 Dec 13 p. 1, 2

Birth date: 1973

text of obituary:

Colombian pastor killed by a bomb in Bogota

By Robert Rhodes

Mennonite Weekly Review

BOGOTA, Colombia — The pastor of a Mennonite church in the capital of strife-torn Colombia was killed in a bomb blast Nov. 28 as he waited for a bus.

At his funeral Dec. 1, friends and ministry associates recalled the young pastor's dedication to the church.

Javier Segura, 31, pastor of a new congregation in Bogota's La Victoria neighborhood, died instantly when the bomb exploded about 10:15 p.m. outside a city building near downtown Bogota.

Segura was the only person killed in the blast, which also wounded six other peole, according to news reports.

Segura had been a pastor for less than a year, according to a news release from Iglesia Menonita Colombia, or IMCOL, the Colombian Mennonite Church. He had just said goodnight to his fiancee and was waiting for a public bus when the explosion occurred.

At the time, Segura was on his way home, where he shares a dwelling with his elderly parents, according to IMCOL.

Reports said the bomb had been planted beside a parking obstacle near a municipal building.

The Colombian government has offered a 100 million peso reward for information about the bomb and who might have planted it, reports said.