Colombia president says senator targeted in shooting
Amid heightened security, ruling party Senator Alexander Lopez was travelling in a car ahead of his normal vehicle, which was hit with gunfire on a highway in southwestern Colombia.
Colombian senator Alexander Lopez (L) looks on next to the presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda (R) for the Pacto Historico party and his running mate Aida Quilcue (C) during a campaign rally in Popayan, Colombia, on May 19, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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BOGOTÁ — The motorcade of a Colombian senator came under fire Tuesday by rebels of the now-defunct FARC guerrilla group in a conflict-ridden region of the country, President Gustavo Petro said.
Colombia is experiencing its worst wave of violence since the signing of a peace agreement with rebels in 2016. The current presidential campaign, ahead of elections set for May 31, has been marred by attacks, murders and kidnappings.
Amid heightened security, ruling party Senator Alexander Lopez was travelling in a car ahead of his normal vehicle, which was hit with gunfire on a highway in southwestern Colombia.
Petro said the attack, in Cauca, occurred just "one kilometre" (0.6 miles) from the site where a guerrilla bomb attack killed 21 civilians in late April.
"Senator Alexander Lopez's armoured car was raked with gunfire by the drug-trafficking armed group led by Ivan Mordisco," the leftist Petro posted on X, adding that the vehicle of a local mayor was also attacked.
"They just tried to kidnap the senator," the president also told a crowd at a public event in the capital, Bogota.
It was unclear whether anyone was injured in the incident or if security forces engaged with the guerrillas.
"They opened fire with rifles," Lopez told Noticias Caracol news channel after the attack.
"(My) vehicle was shot at, stopped, and they got in," he added. "They asked the driver: 'Where's the boss?'"
Lopez said the rebels drove off with his car, with one of his bodyguards still inside, and held him for around five minutes.
Cauca has vast areas under drug cultivation and is one of the main strongholds of FARC dissidents under the command of Mordisco, the country's most wanted criminal, who has rejected the peace agreement.
Petro unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate peace with the country's armed groups, which have expanded their ranks in recent years.
The leading right-wing candidates, Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia, have criticised Petro's peace policy and promise a tougher stance against illicit groups.