MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Colombian President insists mafia groups want to kill him

Petro linked the gangas wanting him dead to the ones behind the murder of Paraguayan prosecutor Marcelo Pecci

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has denounced multiple assassination plots against him, highlighting a recent incident involving the discovery of anti-tank weapons near the presidential Casa de Nariño palace in Bogotá.

 The weapons, capable of piercing armored vehicles, were found between February 15 and 20, 2025, on Calle 6, near the palace, according to a National Radio report. Petro accused members of the Colombian Police of concealing this discovery, calling it a “very serious” matter.

Intelligence reports suggest the weapons were intended for an attack on Petro, who also noted that other sophisticated weapons have entered Colombia for similar purposes, with initial warnings about a potential attack provided by the US Embassy on July 20, 2024.

“The investigation will be done thoroughly, but this is not the only fact we have found in these months. Several meetings are held to coordinate attacks. In the mafia's extreme right, the order is given. My protection is of the people,” Petro wrote.

Additionally, Petro has repeatedly referenced a criminal group called the “Junta del Narcotráfico,” allegedly based in the United Arab Emirates, which he claims is orchestrating these plots. “They have sought to assassinate me without success,” he also contended.

He accused this group of controlling a network of prosecutors and managing the port of Buenaventura through the Technical Investigation Corps of the Colombian Prosecutor's Office.

Petro linked this group to the 2022 murder of Paraguayan prosecutor Marcelo Pecci in Cartagena, claiming they covered up the intellectual authors of the crime. He asserts that his protection lies with the Colombian people and that investigations into these threats will be thorough.