Bogota  - The Colombian Army on Tuesday detonated a bicycle- bomb that alleged leftist rebels had planted near an Army garrison in the north-eastern province of Arauca, on the border with Venezuela.

An Army statement said that members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had planted the bike with a view to "attacking the troops" in the town of Tame.

"When they noticed the strange presence of the bomb, the military officers immediately proceeded to cordoning off the area and defusing it in a controlled way," the statement said.

The bicycle was said to hold some 4 kilogrammes of the explosive ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO). (dpa)