BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA: Colombian President Gustavo Petro narrowly escaped an assassination attempt while travelling by helicopter with his daughters, authorities and the president confirmed on Tuesday.
Petro said his helicopter was unable to land on Colombia’s Caribbean coast due to threats that “unspecified people were going to shoot,” forcing the aircraft to head out to open sea for several hours before safely landing at an alternate location with support from the Colombian navy.
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The president, speaking at a Council of Ministers meeting in Cordoba Department—a region currently facing severe flooding—said the threats forced him to drastically alter his travel plans. “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.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced he had escaped an assassination attempt overnight:
“I have to confess here and say it, that I have come in, not in the arms of love, but escaping from being killed.”That’s why I couldn’t arrive for two hours last night, because I… pic.twitter.com/BsKitbiWz2
— Adi (@Adi13) February 10, 2026
Petro has previously reported alleged assassination attempts, claiming that a drug-trafficking cartel has targeted him since taking office in August 2022. The president linked the latest threats to a series of security incidents dating back to October 2025.
The reported assassination attempt comes amid rising violence in Colombia ahead of presidential elections, in which Petro is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election. On the same day, Senator Aida Quilcue was kidnapped in Cauca Department, a conflict-ridden coca-growing region, but was later freed by security forces along with her bodyguards.
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Last week, gunmen killed two bodyguards of another senator in Arauca region, near the Venezuelan border. Observers have warned that over 300 Colombian municipalities are at risk of electoral violence as legislative elections approach on March 8 and presidential elections on May 31.
Authorities continue to monitor threats against public officials and are reviewing security measures for Petro and other high-risk political figures ahead of the elections.