Attack on Colombian police helicopter leaves at least 8 dead, president says

A helicopter takes off at a military base in Calamar, Colombia on May 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

An attack on a Colombian National Police helicopter Thursday killed at least eight people and injured several others, according to President Gustavo Petro.

It’s still unclear who is behind the attack in the Antioquia department.

In his most recent comments Thursday, Petro attributed it to the 36th Front of the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), dissidents of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a leftist guerrilla group.

However, earlier, he suggested the powerful criminal syndicate Gulf Clan might be involved, noting the attack came after the seizure of 1.5 tons of cocaine in the Urabá region of Antioquia.

“We have the unfortunate news of eight police officers dead and eight injured in the helicopter whose mission was to transport personnel to eradicate coca leaf crops in Amalfi,” Petro wrote on his X account.

National Police Director Carlos Fernando Triana Beltrán described the incident as a “terrorist act” and said police units are in the area treating the wounded.

The helicopter was supporting the manual eradication of illicit crops when it was allegedly attacked by a drone, Antioquia Gov. Andrés Julián Rendón said, adding two uniformed officers were injured.

The governor posted a video that appears to show the helicopter crashing into a hill.

Rendón warned that both the Gulf Clan and dissidents of FARC operate in the area, and noted the national government has been unable to agree on who is responsible for the attack.

“(We) have always known that these are FARC dissidents in charge of Calarcá: that’s their modus operandi, allied with the ELN,” he said, referring to the leftist guerrilla group National Liberation Army. “Coordination within the national government is urgent. This is a matter of life and death.”