Colombia’s police on highest alert over election violence

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s police are on most alert after detecting plans by radical teams to reject the outcomes of a second presidential election vote on Sunday and commit violence throughout the nation, prime cop Basic Luis Vargas stated on Tuesday.

Colombians will go to the polls on Sunday to decide on between leftist Gustavo Petro, who has vowed profound financial and social change, and building magnate Rodolfo Hernandez, a political outsider who has pledged to shrink authorities.

Plans to trigger violence and reject electoral outcomes had been found throughout social media, in addition to on the deep internet and darkish internet in posts printed by false or nameless accounts, Vargas stated.

“The nationwide police is ready with all of its capabilities,” Vargas stated.

Police have carried out 57 operations thus far, capturing 267 members of radical teams, together with some linked to looting and vandalism carried out throughout large-scale anti-government protests final yr, Colombia’s nationwide police stated in an announcement.

Vargas didn’t current proof however stated police have shared their findings with different intelligence companies.

Alexander Vega, the Colombian official charged with overseeing voting on Sunday, earlier requested Petro to respect the outcomes and guaranteed voters the method could be clear.

“The message for Petro is that he should respect and abide by the outcomes as he has performed in all of the elections wherein he has participated,” Vega informed reporters.

Final week, Petro warned of doable election fraud in an interview with Reuters and stated that if proof of such exercise was handed to his marketing campaign group, he would denounce it.

Polls present Hernandez has a slight benefit over his leftist rival, however neither is polling above 50%.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Enhancing by Lincoln Feast)