Colombia presidential candidate Petro says gang planned to attack him on campaign trail

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpBOGOTA Reuters – Gustavo Petro, the leftist frontrunner in Colombia‘s presidential election, on Monday canceled events in the country’s coffee region because of what his office said was a plot by a crime gang to attack him.p

pPetro, a former M19 guerrilla and mayor of Bogota, was scheduled to travel to the region, including the city of Manizales, on Tuesday and Wednesday, ahead of the scheduled vote on May 29.pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

pBut the visit has been called off after Petros security team got information the La Cordillera crime gang was planning an attack, his office said in a statement.p

p“According to work carried out by the security team, which received firsthand information from sources in the area, the criminal group La Cordillera was planning to make an attempt on the life of presidential candidate Gustavo Petro,” said the statement, the authenticity of which was confirmed by press officers from the campaign.p

pThe national police said they would give a statement on the case later on Monday afternoon.p

pLa Cordillera, which operates largely in the coffee region, was blamed by police for the death of a local organizer of antigovernment marches which swept the country a year ago.p

pPetro lead an opinion poll last week with 43.6 of prospective firstround votes, while his closest rival, the centerright Federico Gutierrez, tallied 26.7.p

pPetro has attracted support on his promises to right profound income inequality in the Andean country, including via a redistribution of pension savings. But investors have warned the pension plan and his pledge to halt new oil projects could put the countrys economic stability at risk.p

pThe 62yearold will face a divided congress if he wins the presidency, with centrist and rightleaning parties largely throwing their support behind Gutierrez.p

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pp Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb and Luis Jaime Acosta, Editing by Rosalba OBrienp

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