Colombian conservative Congressman Julio César Triana survived an attack on Wednesday night after his vehicle came under fire by unknown individuals as he left the Southwestern city of La Plata, Huila.
The lawmaker and his team made it out unscathed after his vehicle reportedly suffered bullet holes from a rifle and a pistol.
Triana is member of the conservative Radical Change (CR) party, currently serving as a member of the Colombian Chamber of Representatives. The lawmaker announced that his vehicle was shot at while leaving La Plata and called for immediate support from the Colombian National Police and Army. He published a statement thanking God that both he and his team were unharmed in the attack.
“I want to tell everyone that we are in the vehicle, we have just been attacked, we have just been shot at with rifles and pistols, leaving La Plata, I am with the police, the [Colombian National Protection Unit] UNP,” Triana says in the video.
“I want to inform you that we have not yet received support from either the police or the army. We are approaching a town called Paycol, and the road is completely deserted. We have been hit several times and are requesting support from the security forces,” he continued.
Roughly an hour after Triana published the video, far-left President Gustavo Petro announced that a helicopter had been sent to evacuate Triana and that the Colombian army was engaged in combat with the perpetrators of the attack. According to Petro, the area is “controlled” by forces led by Néstor Gregorio “Ivan Mordisco” Vera Fernández, one of the leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) Marxist terrorist organization. Triana was evacuated from the town of Paicol to Neiva, capital of the Huila Department.
“We are now home with our family, thanks to God and the Virgin Mary for protecting us during this difficult time,” Triana said on social media close to midnight. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your expressions of love and concern. We also thank our brave security forces, who brought us home safe and sound.”
“We will remain steadfast in defending our democracy, but we ask the government to guarantee the safety of all Colombians. With faith and hope,” he continued.
Radical Change released a public statement asserting that the party has repeatedly denounced that Triana has failed to receive the necessary protection despite previously facing credible threats of violence. The party said that it holds President Petro directly responsible for Triana’s life and for the safety of every other Radical Change lawmaker and member — stressing that “thinking differently cannot be a reason to silence the voice or the lives of Colombians.”
“We are grateful that our congressman is out of danger; however, the vehicle in which he was traveling was completely destroyed. We stand in solidarity with him, his family, and his team during this difficult time,” the statement read.
“We emphatically reject these acts of violence that have already claimed the life of a great leader, Miguel Uribe. We do not want this tragic news to become part of the country’s daily routine,” the statement continued. “The government that promised ‘total peace’ remains silent and has done nothing in the face of these serious threats.”
The attack on Congressman Triana took place amid a national state of commotion following the death of conservative Senator Miguel Uribe, another victim of Colombia’s pervasive Marxist violence. Uribe passed away this week following a difficult two-month fight for his life after a boy shot him in June during a campaign rally in Bogotá. President Petro did not attend Uribe’s funeral proceedings.
“Miguel was murdered. The day before his funeral, three soldiers were murdered: Second Sergeant Wilmar Rivas Moreno and professional soldiers Darío Estrada Pacheco and Andrés Estrada Muñoz,” conservative former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez said on social media. “An attack was carried out against Julio César Triana, a member of parliament for the Radical Change party, in Huila.”
“Threats were reported against Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez, the Secretary of Security, and three city councilors,” he continued. “Colombia needs security. This is not an extremist proposition; it is a basic requirement for the nation to survive.”
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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