Colombian President Gustavo Petro Survives Assassination Attempt Amid Rising Political Violence
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt earlier today. According to him, the helicopter carrying him was unable to land at the planned destination on the Caribbean coast on Monday evening due to concerns about gunfire from unidentified individuals, forcing a change in course.
Speaking during a live broadcast of a government cabinet meeting, Petro explained that they traveled toward the sea for about four hours and reached a different location than the original destination. He said this decision was made to avoid potential danger and “escape death.”
The Colombian president claimed that a network of drug traffickers has been plotting against him since he took office in August 2022. He named figures involved in the alleged plot, including leaders of drug trafficking gangs and commanders of armed groups, such as Iván Mordisco, who leads one of the dissident branches of the FARC movement following the 2016 peace agreement.
This incident comes at a time when Colombia is facing increasing political violence ahead of its presidential elections. The country has endured decades of armed conflicts involving various groups and the assassination of numerous political figures, especially left-wing leaders and candidates.
Petro, the first leftist president in Colombia’s history, is constitutionally barred from running for a second term. He had previously announced the foiling of another assassination attempt against him in 2024.
