Colombian President Gustavo Petro Survives Assassination Attempt Amid Rising Violence
Colombian President Gustavo Petro survived a serious assassination attempt early on Tuesday when his presidential helicopter was unable to land on the Caribbean coast due to gunfire threats. This incident underscores the escalating security situation in Colombia as the country approaches upcoming presidential elections.
During a live government session, Petro stated that the helicopter transporting him on the night of Monday was forced to alter its course and spent four hours flying over open water after receiving security alerts about armed individuals ready to shoot upon landing.
Petro remarked:
“We found ourselves in a place we did not want to be... We did this to escape murder.”
This incident follows months of repeated warnings Petro has received regarding a murder plot orchestrated by drug trafficking networks targeting him since he took office in August 2022.
Petro indicated that among those involved in planning the assassination is Iván Mordisco, the leader of a dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which rejected the peace agreement with the government from 2016, while armed groups remain active in various regions of the country.
Colombia is witnessing a troubling surge in violence as presidential elections draw near, in a nation that has endured decades of bloody conflict involving the state, rebels, and organized crime.
It is important to note that several leftist leaders and presidential candidates have been assassinated in previous periods of the country’s history.
Petro is Colombia's first leftist president and is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term.
He also reported a similar assassination attempt in 2024.
On the international stage, these developments come just days after a meeting between Petro and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House last week, which lasted nearly two hours and was described as cordial, despite previously strained relations.
Trump had previously threatened military action against Colombia and accused the president of flooding the United States with cocaine, warning of military intervention similar to that in Venezuela.
Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine producer, while the United States is the largest consumer.
To ease tensions, Petro extradited one of the major drug lords to the United States last week, a move seen as a goodwill gesture toward Washington.
For decades, Colombia has been the United States' closest ally in Latin America, with billions of dollars flowing to support military and intelligence efforts as part of the drug war.
However, coca plant production and cocaine exports have significantly increased during Petro's presidency, further complicating the security and political landscape in the country.
The recent incident raises a critical question for Colombia:
Will the state be able to rein in drug gangs, or will violence continue to shape the country's political future?
