A 24-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in Pereira after threatening
to kill the Risaralda Governor and a local Evangelical priest, just days
after a Catholic priest was stabbed during a church ceremony.
The suspect was arrested after he went to local priest Pablo Portela to tell him he was on a “divine” mission to kill the father and Governor Victor Manuel Tamayo.
The threat came only days after a catholic priest was stabbed before worshippers by a man who said he had been “sent by the Gods” to kill the priest.
The self-confessed godsent who was after the lives of the Governor and the priest shows sign of being a drug addict, local Police commander José David Guzmán told the press. “It seems everything was done for publicity, to simply draw attention,” the official added.
According to Guzmán, there was no evidence found to indicate the two attackers belong to some religious fanatic gang and the arrested suspect will be charged with attempted homicide. According to local media, the first attacker has not been caught yet.
However, Risaralda security agencies are on heightened alert and have increased security measures to protect the Governor from possible attacks by religious fanatics. Priest Portela enjoys the protection of a private security company.
