Colombian President Gustavo Petro has escaped an assassination attempt after months of warnings about an alleged plot by drug traffickers to attack him.
According to the Colombian President, his helicopter was unable to land at his destination on the Caribbean coast on Monday night because of fears that people he did not name "were going to shoot" at it.
"We headed out to open sea for four hours, and I arrived somewhere we weren't supposed to go, escaping from being killed," Petro said in a cabinet meeting that was broadcast live.
Petro's claim came amid a surge in violence months ahead of presidential elections, in a country marred by decades of conflict between guerrilla and other armed groups.
Petro, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term, has claimed that a drug-trafficking cabal has had its sights set on ending his life ever since assuming office in August 2022.
The alleged plot involves narco bosses and war lords such as Ivan Mordisco, who commands the largest group of dissidents who broke with the FARC guerrilla army after it agreed to disarm under a 2016 peace agreement.
Colombia has a long list of leftist leaders, including presidential candidates, assassinated over the years.
Petro, the South American country's first-ever leftist president, had reported another alleged attempt on his life in 2024.
Speaking at the Colombian Embassy in Washington, DC earlier this month Petro described the moment as a difficult one for both Colombia and neighbouring Venezuela. He said regional tensions and shifting alliances had created a fragile political climate.
He told reporters he had suggested renewing Colombia’s partnership with the United States through closer cooperation against drug trafficking networks operating along the Colombia-Venezuela border.
The idea, he said, was joint action against criminal groups affecting both countries.
Detente with US
Petro also floated expanded investment in clean energy projects that could supply electricity across the region, arguing such cooperation could stabilise ties while supporting economic recovery on both sides of the border.
On the international stage, Petro has stood out among Latin American leaders as a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump. Their exchanges have often been blunt, reflecting deep political friction between Washington and Bogota.
Tensions sharpened in early January after the United States launched military strikes in Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro, an operation widely condemned by parts of the region.
Trump also signalled possible action against Colombia, fuelling unease across Latin America.
A phone call between the two presidents later cooled the rhetoric, producing a fragile but notable detente and a White House meeting in early February.
