Colombian President Gustavo Petro said this week he narrowly avoided an assassination attempt while traveling to the northern department of Córdoba by helicopter.

“I was escaping from being killed,” Petro told the Colombian daily El Tiempo.

Petro’s remarks come after months of reported threats by organized crime groups. He alleged that a “new drug cartel board” has been plotting to kill him since he assumed office in August 2022, El Tiempo reported.

According to France24, Petro’s helicopter was unable to land in Córdoba on Monday night due to concerns about a possible shooting.

During a Cabinet Council meeting in Montería on Tuesday, Petro said, “I have to confess here that I was escaping from being killed, that’s why I couldn’t make it last night. I couldn’t land where I was supposed to land.”

“Not even at the place where I should have landed, they turned on no lights,” he added during a live broadcast of the meeting.

“We took open sea [for] four hours,” he said. “And I ended up where we were not supposed to go... escaping from being killed with my children.”

The president’s statements come amid a spike in violence across Colombia. With three months remaining in his term, Petro is barred by law from seeking re-election, El Tiempo reported.

According to the report, the threats involve drug traffickers living abroad and guerrilla fighters. One of the names mentioned is Iván Mordisco, the leader of a key faction of former FARC guerrillas who rejected the 2016 peace deal and returned to arms.

In Córdoba, the largest criminal group is the Gulf Clan. The cartel reportedly ended peace negotiations last week following a joint Colombian-American effort to pursue its leader, known as “Chiquito Malo,” El Tiempo reported. The agreement followed talks between Petro and US President Donald Trump.