Colombian President Claims Assassination Plot Targeting Him
Petro told ministers during a live streamed meeting that on Monday night his helicopter could not touch down in the Caribbean department of Córdoba because there was credible intelligence suggesting unnamed individuals “were going to shoot” at the aircraft, forcing a reroute over open sea.
“I’m trying to escape being killed. That’s why I couldn’t arrive on time last night, because I couldn’t land where I had said. This morning, I couldn’t land where I was supposed to either, because there was information that the helicopter was going to be shot at,” Petro said.
Hours earlier, Petro was aboard the helicopter with his daughters when the flight was diverted due to the reported threat, according to his comments.
Petro, who cannot seek a second term under Colombia’s constitution, has repeatedly claimed a drug trafficking network has sought to kill him since he took office in August 2022, and said he had previously reported another alleged attempt on his life in 2024.
The latest incident unfolds against the backdrop of decades of armed conflict involving guerrilla groups and other criminal actors, and just weeks before congressional elections on March 8 and presidential elections in May.
Local reports identify Clan del Golfo, Colombia’s largest cartel, as active in Córdoba and note it halted peace talks with the government after Petro agreed with US President Donald Trump on cooperation to capture cartel leader Hobanis de Jesús Ávila Villadiego.
The president’s remarks came as Colombian Senator Aida Quilcué, an Indigenous rights advocate aligned with the government, was seized by unknown gunmen in Cauca, a coca growing region long contested by armed groups. Her team reported she was rescued hours later after her abandoned vehicle was found. The 53 year old told media she had been taken by “various armed men,” without identifying the faction involved.
Colombia’s security environment has grown more volatile as national elections approach, heightening concerns about political violence and criminal retaliation.
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