BOGOTA - Colombian military authorities confirmed Monday that they have killed Santander Franco Jimenez, the leader of a criminal organization who was accused of planning an attack against President Gustavo Petro.

The 25-year-old is a veteran of the group called Gulf Clan and a close confidant of its top leader known as "Chiquito Malo," said Pedro Sanchez and General Luis Carlos Cordoba, Columbia's defense minister and commander of the Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC), at a press conference.

Jimenez was responsible for "numerous terrorist acts" against the public force and the civilian population, and played a key role in coordinating activities related to drug trafficking and illicit economies on the Pacific coast, said the general.

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He was killed together with another member of the group during a clash with the military and the national police in the municipality of El Dovio, Valle del Cauca, said the general.

The military forces also discovered four camps belonging to the group with the capacity to house 30 people, together with 1,184 rounds of ammunition, seven magazines, four improvised explosive devices, abundant medical supplies and communications equipment, he said.

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This operation has dealt a decisive blow to the Gulf Clan, directly affecting its command, control, and financial capabilities, in addition to impacting drug trafficking routes both nationally and internationally, said the general.