Colombian president Gustavo Petro stated on 10/2 that the helicopter carrying him could not land at a planned destination on the Caribbean coast on the evening of 9/2, fearing someone would shoot at the aircraft.

"Our helicopter flew over the sea for 4 hours and eventually landed at an unplanned location, thereby avoiding assassination," he said during a live-streamed cabinet meeting.

Petro's statement comes amidst escalating violence ahead of the presidential election in a nation scarred by decades of conflict involving guerrilla and armed groups. Colombia is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on 8/3 and presidential elections on 31/5, with a potential second round in June if required.

Colombian president Gustavo Petro during a visit to the US on 3/2. Photo: AFP

Petro, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term, asserted that a drug trafficking criminal network has plotted to assassinate him since he assumed office in 8/2022.

This plot is reportedly linked to drug lords and armed group leaders such as Ivan Mordisco, commander of the largest dissident group that split from the FARC guerrilla forces after they agreed to disarm under the 2016 peace agreement.

Many leftist leaders, including presidential candidates, have faced assassination in Colombia over the years. Petro, the first leftist president of this South American nation, previously stated there was another assassination plot targeting him in 2024.

By 2/2025, he claimed that criminal gangs planned to fire missiles at his presidential plane. According to the Colombian president, these criminal gangs aim to eliminate him quickly because his government's crackdown is targeting "powerful mafia organizations."

Huyen Le (According to AFP)