Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro said that Prosecutor General Francisco Barbosa accused guerrilla group ELN of planning his assassination for political reasons.
Petro said so on Twitter after the security forces suggested that Barbosa misinformed the public about the guerrilla conspiracy theory.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said earlier this month that military intelligence, the prosecution’s Technical Investigations Unit and a policeman working for the prosecution’s organized crime division all said that the ELN “will carry out a terrorist attack against the prosecutor general.”
Colombia’s chief prosecutor says ELN plans to assassinate him
Barbosa subsequently accused financial intelligence unit UIAF of not informing the prosecution about financial transactions that would be connected to the assassination plot.
In a joint statement, the security forces and intelligence agencies said that military intelligence was informed about the conspiracy theory by the same source as the prosecution.
Apparently, Barbosa made this source’s allegation public before its veracity could be verified by the National Army, according to the press release.
The security and intelligence bodies additionally denied knowing about transactions that could be related to a guerrilla conspiracy to kill the chief prosecutor, far-right senator Maria Fernanda Cabal and retired army general Eduardo Zapateiro.
In a response, the president accused Barbosa of having made an “irresponsible accusation of political character.”
According to Petro, the chief prosecutor was trying to influence the process to replace Barbosa when his term comes to an end in February.
Amid the controversy, the Prosecutor General’s Office released another press release, confirming “the real intention of the ELN to carry out a criminal act in Bogota.”
The press release said that an unidentified source also informed an American intelligence agency, which was not mentioned in the original accusation.
The ELN has vehemently denied planning to assassinate Barbosa, claiming that the allegation sought to sabotage a ceasefire that took force days before the prosecution claims.