SerpApi.Org
Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo De La Espriella, said his security team has received intelligence warnings of a possible assassination plot allegedly involving members of the National Liberation Army and dissident factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, prompting heightened security as he continues his nationwide transition tour.
The warning was disclosed Monday in a statement released by the president-elect’s office, which said intelligence reports received over the previous few hours indicate that criminal organizations may have offered up to 3 billion Colombian pesos - about $920,000 - to carry out an attack against him during a series of regional transition meetings ahead of his inauguration.
According to the statement, the intelligence also warns of possible attempts to infiltrate press conferences and public appearances, particularly events involving children and older adults, in an effort to exploit those settings to carry out a violent attack.
“The president-elect will not suspend his work agenda or the territorial transition process because he believes Colombia cannot yield to threats from those who seek to impose fear through violence,” the statement said.
Instead, De La Espriella’s office said extraordinary security measures will be implemented to protect both members of the public attending events and members of the incoming administration.
The statement did not disclose the source of the intelligence or provide evidence supporting the allegations. Colombian authorities have not publicly confirmed the reported threat.
The president-elect called on law enforcement and intelligence agencies to move quickly to determine the origin of the alleged plot, identify those responsible and prevent any action that could endanger his life or civilians attending public events.
“Colombia has the right to live in democracy, and no criminal organization will prevent the government elected by Colombians from carrying out its duties,” the statement said.
The reported threat comes just weeks before De La Espriella is scheduled to be sworn in as Colombia’s next president on Aug. 7, as he continues meeting with regional leaders as part of the transition to his new administration.
Country marked by political violence
The reported threat comes less than a year after Colombia was shaken by the assassination of opposition presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, a killing that reignited fears that political violence - once considered one of the darkest chapters of the country’s modern history - could again become a defining feature of Colombian democracy.
Uribe Turbay, a senator and presidential hopeful with the conservative Democratic Center party, was shot during a campaign event in Bogotá in June 2025. He suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and another to the leg and remained hospitalized for nearly two months before dying from his injuries.
His assassination sparked nationwide demonstrations against political violence and prompted renewed calls for stronger protections for candidates seeking public office.
Authorities ultimately classified the killing as a “magnicide,” a designation reserved in Colombia for the assassination of major political figures. Prosecutors arrested six suspects, including the teenage gunman accused of carrying out the attack and an alleged coordinator of the operation known as “El Costeño.” Investigators have said they continue to pursue those who ordered the assassination.
The killing also revived painful memories of one of Colombia’s bloodiest political eras, when presidential candidates Luis Carlos Galán, Bernardo Jaramillo and Carlos Pizarro were assassinated in 1990 amid a wave of violence fueled by drug cartels, guerrilla groups and paramilitary organizations.
For many Colombians, the attack on Uribe Turbay shattered the belief that the country had largely left behind the era when presidential candidates routinely became targets of political violence.
Armed groups remain active
The intelligence warning issued by De La Espriella’s office specifically names the National Liberation Army, known by its SPpanish initials ELN, and dissident factions of the former FARC as the groups allegedly behind the plot.
The ELN, Colombia’s last major active guerrilla organization, continues to operate in several regions despite years of intermittent peace negotiations with successive governments. Various FARC dissident groups, composed of former guerrillas who rejected or later abandoned the 2016 peace agreement, also remain active, financing their operations through drug trafficking, illegal mining, extortion and other criminal enterprises.
Many of those organizations have expanded their influence in remote areas where state institutions remain weak, often competing for control of cocaine trafficking routes, illegal mining operations and strategic border corridors.
Successive Colombian administrations have struggled to contain the resurgence of these armed groups. Security conditions have deteriorated in several parts of the country despite intensified military operations and repeated attempts to negotiate peace with armed organizations.
Security concerns during the transition
De La Espriella is currently engaged in a series of transition meetings with regional authorities as his incoming administration prepares to take office.
His office said those activities will continue despite the reported threat, although under significantly enhanced security.
Officials also expressed concern that any attack carried out during a crowded public event could endanger civilians, explaining why additional protective measures will be implemented at public meetings, press conferences and other appearances.
No details were provided regarding the nature of the enhanced security arrangements.
The statement urged Colombian authorities to investigate the intelligence report “with the greatest urgency” to determine whether the alleged assassination plot is genuine, identify those responsible and neutralize any threat before an attack can occur.
So far, authorities have not announced any arrests related to the alleged plot, nor have they publicly corroborated the intelligence cited by the president-elect’s office.
The announcement nevertheless underscores the persistent security challenges facing Colombia’s incoming government and highlights the continuing threat posed by armed organizations that remain active across large parts of the country despite decades of military campaigns and peace initiatives.
