The campaign linked them as part of the same operation.
En plena campaña presidencial colombiana, el candidato de derecha Abelardo de la Espriella denuncia haber frustrado una operación de inteligencia en un acto público en Envigado, alegando que el Estado mismo podría estar implicado en un complot para asesinarlo. El incidente no es aislado: los principales aspirantes a la presidencia enfrentan amenazas graves en un país donde la violencia armada y la desconfianza institucional se han convertido en el telón de fondo de la democracia. Colombia se aproxima a sus elecciones cargando el peso de una crisis de seguridad que ningún candidato puede ignorar y que ningún gobierno ha logrado resolver.
- El equipo de seguridad de De la Espriella detuvo a un hombre en Envigado que portaba una pistola traumática, binoculares, dispositivos electrónicos y grabaciones del escenario principal y los accesos al parque central.
- La campaña presentó denuncias formales ante la policía, la fiscalía y los organismos de inteligencia del Estado, acusando directamente a funcionarios oficiales y a la Dirección Nacional de Inteligencia de planear un ataque de francotirador.
- La DNI respondió con contundencia, rechazando las acusaciones y señalando que es una entidad desarmada sin capacidad táctica ni personal con entrenamiento militar, exigiendo pruebas concretas.
- Los tres candidatos presidenciales más votados han reportado amenazas serias en las últimas semanas, configurando un patrón de violencia electoral que desborda los casos individuales.
- El asesinato del hermano del expresidente Uribe y la expansión de grupos armados ilegales enmarcan una temporada electoral que se ha convertido en un entorno de alto riesgo para quienes aspiran a gobernar Colombia.
Un sábado de mayo, el equipo de seguridad del candidato presidencial Abelardo de la Espriella detuvo a un hombre durante un acto de campaña en Envigado, al sur de Medellín. Entre sus pertenencias había una pistola traumática, dos cargadores, binoculares, dispositivos electrónicos y un volante con el nombre del candidato. En la estación de policía más cercana, la seguridad de la campaña aseguró haber encontrado también grabaciones del escenario, los accesos y las posiciones estratégicas alrededor del parque central del municipio.
De la Espriella, candidato de derecha, presentó el episodio como un atentado frustrado. Su campaña radicó denuncias ante la policía, la fiscalía y los organismos de inteligencia, y fue más lejos: días antes había advertido públicamente sobre un supuesto complot para asesinarlo mediante un francotirador, señalando como posibles responsables a funcionarios del gobierno y a la Dirección Nacional de Inteligencia, la DNI. La agencia respondió con firmeza, negando cualquier implicación y recordando que es una entidad civil desarmada, sin personal con entrenamiento militar, y exigió que el candidato presentara evidencias.
El caso de De la Espriella no es el único. Iván Cepeda ha recibido advertencias de atentado provenientes incluso de sus propios aliados políticos y del presidente Gustavo Petro. Paloma Valencia ha sido amenazada de muerte y su sede en Bucaramanga fue vandalizada. El patrón revela un deterioro generalizado de la seguridad electoral en Colombia.
Este clima de amenazas se inscribe en una crisis más amplia: el asesinato del hermano del expresidente Álvaro Uribe Vélez, la expansión de grupos armados ilegales y una violencia que el próximo gobierno heredará sin haber elegido. Quién está detrás de las amenazas —si actores estatales, organizaciones criminales o grupos armados al margen del Estado— sigue siendo una pregunta sin respuesta clara. Lo que no admite duda es que la campaña presidencial colombiana transcurre hoy bajo una sombra de riesgo real y creciente.
Abelardo de la Espriella's campaign security team stopped what they say was an intelligence operation at a rally in Envigado, a town south of Medellín, on a Saturday afternoon in May. The man they detained had a traumatic pistol, two ammunition magazines, binoculars, electronic devices, a campaign flyer bearing de la Espriella's name, and what appeared to be an identification card. When his belongings were inventoried at the nearest police station, the campaign's security detail said they also found video recordings he had made—footage of the event's main stage, access points, logistical movements, and strategic positions around the town's central park.
De la Espriella, a right-wing candidate, framed the incident as a thwarted attack. His campaign filed a formal complaint with the police, the prosecutor's office, and Colombia's state intelligence agencies, asking them to investigate. But the allegation went further. Days earlier, de la Espriella had announced that he had received intelligence warning of an assassination attempt against him—specifically, a sniper attack. He claimed the information pointed to involvement by official government personnel and the National Intelligence Directorate, known as the DNI.
The DNI responded swiftly and sharply. In a statement, the agency rejected de la Espriella's claims and demanded he produce evidence. The directorate noted that it is an unarmed organization with no military or tactical capacity, and that its personnel receive no military training whatsoever. The implication was clear: the agency saw the accusation as baseless.
De la Espriella's campaign is not alone in reporting threats. Colombia's three leading presidential candidates have all disclosed serious security incidents in recent weeks. Iván Cepeda, backed by the Democratic Center party and President Gustavo Petro, has been the subject of assassination warnings from both his own political allies and the sitting president. Paloma Valencia, another frontrunner, has received death threats and witnessed vandalism at her campaign headquarters in Bucaramanga. The pattern reflects a broader deterioration in campaign security across the country.
These incidents sit within a larger crisis. The assassination of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez's brother, threats against civilians, and the aggressive expansion of illegal armed groups have created a landscape of violence that the next government will inherit. The question of who poses the greatest threat—whether rogue state actors, criminal organizations, or armed groups operating outside state control—remains contested and unclear. What is certain is that Colombia's electoral season has become a high-risk environment, and the candidates themselves are now the visible targets of that risk.
Notable Quotes
The DNI is an unarmed organization and therefore does not possess military or tactical capacity, and its personnel receive no military training whatsoever.— National Intelligence Directorate (DNI) statement
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would someone embed themselves at a campaign event with surveillance equipment and a weapon if they were actually planning an attack?
That's the central puzzle. The campaign says it was reconnaissance—mapping the space, identifying exits, understanding security patterns. But the DNI's point is worth considering too: if you're genuinely planning a sniper attack, you don't need to be physically present at the event beforehand.
So de la Espriella might be connecting two separate incidents that aren't actually connected?
It's possible. He received a warning about a sniper plot from an intelligence source, then his security team detained someone doing surveillance work. The campaign linked them as part of the same operation. But the DNI is saying: we don't have the capacity to execute what you're describing.
Is the DNI denial credible?
They're technically correct that they're not an armed military unit. But that doesn't mean individual officials couldn't be involved in something outside their agency's official mandate. The real question is whether de la Espriella has actual evidence or whether he's operating on a warning that may or may not be reliable.
What does this tell us about the state of Colombian politics right now?
That the candidates themselves don't trust the security apparatus to protect them, and they're willing to make serious accusations—even against state institutions—to signal the danger they believe they're in. Whether those accusations are accurate or exaggerated, the fear is real.
And the other candidates are experiencing similar threats?
Yes. Cepeda has warnings from his own allies and the president. Valencia has received death threats and her office was vandalized. This isn't isolated paranoia. It's a pattern. The next government will take office in a country where the leading candidates have all been targeted.