Colombian President Gustavo Petro says he narrowly escaped an alleged assassination attempt after his helicopter was unable to land due to security threats.

Petro said he had faced months of warnings about an alleged plot by drug traffickers against him. On Monday night, Feb. 9, his aircraft was unable to land on the Caribbean coast amid fears people “were going to shoot” at it, forcing the craft to divert over open sea for four hours.
“I was escaping from being killed,” he said, describing how the helicopter rerouted before reaching a safe location.
The claims come as Colombia prepares for upcoming elections amid rising security concerns.