In Colombia, President Petro denounces an attempted coup d'état
According to recordings revealed by El País América, the left-wing Colombian president was the victim of an attempted overthrow by former Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva, who reportedly sought support in the United States, without success.
For several weeks, Gustavo Petro has publicly claimed to have been the victim of an attempted coup d'état and an international "conspiracy." On June 29, El País América broadcast several audio recordings suggesting that the controversial former Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva had indeed attempted to bring together several Colombian and American figures to overthrow the Colombian president.
“We have to get rid of this guy, […] insecurity is out of control,” Álvaro Leyva tells an unidentified person in one of the recordings, “and that can only be done with a great national agreement that must include [the guerrillas] of the ELN and [the paramilitaries] of the Clan del Golfo .” In another audio document, which Colombian intelligence services also had access to, according to El País América, Álvaro Leyva says he wants to install Vice President Francia Márquez as president, with the support of several right-wing figures.
Álvaro Leyva, who fled to Madrid for fear of reprisals, according to El País América, responded to the magazine Semana that it was just a “private conversation” .
Even more disturbing, the former minister also reportedly met with a U.S. parliamentarian to try
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