Colombian President’s Chopper Gunned Down, 3 Billion Pesos Offered As Reward To Trace Culprits

Colombian officials are probing into the mysterious gunfire attack on the president’s helicopter Friday. Ivan Duque’s charter was reportedly targeted while it flew through Colombia's Catatumbo region toward the city of Cucuta, capital of the country's Norte de Santander province. Given how the incident is one of national concern, Defence Minister Diego Molano has offered a lucrative reward to those who’d be willing to come forward— three billion pesos ($796,000).

Défense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios, and governor of Norte de Santander Silvano Serrano were some of the officials who accompanied the president in this travel. The incident occurred after Duque attended a meeting in the Catatumbo region, a hub for the cultivation of Coca—a key ingredient in the drug cocaine.

The leftist National Liberation Army (ELN), Colombia's largest rebel group, reportedly operates out of the Catatumbo region. Venezuela has been in the eye of the storm lately for being allegedly home to a spate of rebel fighters—an allegation the country has shot down, repeatedly. Diplomatic relations between Colombia and Venezuela were severed after Duque was voted into power in the year 2018.

Unperturbed by the attack, Duque reiterated that the act would not dampen his spirits in fighting against trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime. “The message is that Colombia is always strong in the face of crime and our institutions are above any threat,” said the president, as stated in The Guardian.

While no injuries were reported in the mysterious attack, photographs that were released showed bullet holes in the rotor and tail of the helicopter. In an ongoing probe into the case, as suggested by BBC, the National Police reported that they had discovered two rifles in a Cúcuta neighborhood— an AK-47, and a 7.62 calibre rifle. which reportedly had a role to play in the attack.

“We are after those responsible. We will not give up until we capture them,” tweeted police chief General Jorge Vargas. Earlier this month the ELN refuted any involvement in a mysterious car bomb attack on a 30th military base in Cúcuta. The attack left 36 people, including two US military advisers injured.