Colombian President Announces Survival of Assassination Attempt

SadaNews - Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated that he survived an assassination attempt yesterday, Tuesday, following warnings he has received for months regarding an alleged conspiracy by drug traffickers targeting him.

He explained that his helicopter was unable to land on Monday night at its destination on the Caribbean coast due to concerns that individuals – whom he did not name – "would have fired" upon it.

Petro said in a government meeting broadcast live: "We headed out to sea for 4 hours and ended up in a place we did not intend to go, fleeing from the threat of assassination."

It is noteworthy that Petro, who has been in office since 2022, has previously spoken frequently about alleged plans to attack him.

His comments yesterday followed the temporary disappearance of Indigenous Senator Aida Quilcue, who is politically close to him, prompting the president to speak about a new phase of political uncertainty, saying: "This puts me on alert."

Petro's remarks come amidst rising violence in Colombia just months before the presidential elections set for May in a country that has been under the weight of a conflict between rebels and armed groups for decades.

Petro, who is barred by the constitution from running for a second term, claimed that a drug trafficking gang has sought to assassinate him since he took office in August 2022.

Among the group that Petro accuses of plotting his assassination is Ivan Mordisco, a leader of a faction that split from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for rejecting the peace agreement made with the authorities in 2016.

Many leftist leaders have been assassinated in Colombia, including presidential candidates. Petro – the country's first leftist president – had previously announced in 2024 that he survived an assassination attempt.