A cousin of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was injured in a botched kidnapping Tuesday.
The cousin, Gabriel Posado, was allegedly kidnapped by four men and one woman on the road to the municipality of Salgar, some 20 miles southwest of Medellin.
The police quickly caught up with Posado’s kidnappers and after a brief exchange of gunfire in which Posada was hit in the back, the police managed to rescue the former president’s cousin.
Uribe commented on his Twitter account, “thanks to the police and army for reacting and rescuing Gabriel Posada, my kidnapped cousin.”
Posado is currently being treated at a hospital in Medellin while police continue their search for the five kidnappers.
Colombia, once the kidnapping capital of the world, saw a sharp decline in kidnapping during Uribe’s two terms. Over the past few years the number of kidnappings has gone up again.
