Colombian President Petro Says He Escaped An Assassination Attempt: 'Went To Open Sea For Four Hours'

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he survived an assassination attempt on Tuesday, changing the route of his helicopter to avoid being shot when landing.

Petro said the helicopter in which he was with his daughter had to avoid landing at a designated area out of fear that it would be shot by unspecified foes.

"Last night, I couldn't land because I was informed that they were going to shoot at the helicopter I was travelling in with my daughters," Petro told Radio Nacional de Colombia. "They didn't even turn on the lights where I was supposed to land," he added.

Petro later addressed a Council of Ministers meeting in the Cordoba Department, where he was heading to address heavy rains and flooding. He told those present that he is "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.

He detailed that his helicopter spent about four hours at open sea to avoid landing until getting the support of the Colombian navy. Radio Nacional de Colombia noted that Petro believes such attempts against his life have been taking place since October. "The head of state affirmed that these events keep him in a state of permanent alert," the outlet added.

Colombia has been seeing other episodes of violence ahead of presidential elections this year, from which Petro is constitutionally barred from participating. Elsewhere, Senator Aida Quilcue, who is an indigenous activist, was kidnapped in the department of Cauca.

Members of an Indigenous guard unit later found the vehicle in which she was traveling with two guards, but it was empty. She was later released after Petro warned kidnappers to release her or risk crossing a "red line."

Moreover, gunmen killed last week two bodyguards of a senator as part of an attack on his convoy in the region of Arauca.

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