Peruvian presidential hopeful Rafael Belaunde survived a gun attack on Tuesday, emerging bloodied but not seriously injured after gunmen opened fire on his car south of Lima, police confirmed.
According to police chief General Oscar Arriola, two assailants on a motorbike fired eight or nine shots at Belaunde’s SUV.
The 50-year-old politician, a former energy minister and grandson of two-term ex-president Fernando Belaunde, returned fire, discharging at least 12 rounds at his attackers. No gunshot injuries were reported.
Three bullets shattered the front window of the vehicle, leaving Belaunde with bloodstains on his face and shirt from cuts caused by broken glass, images of which circulated widely on TV and social media. Belaunde described his injuries as “scratches sustained after the incident” in the town of Cerro Azul, about 130 kilometres (80 miles) south of Lima.
Belaunde told police he had not received any threats prior to the attack.
Pedro Cateriano, a member of Belaunde’s Libertad Popular (Popular Liberty) party, described the incident as “a bad start to the campaign”, highlighting Peru’s surge in organized crime and corruption, which has fueled protests led by Gen Z demonstrators, leaving dozens injured and at least one dead.
Belaunde is one of at least 12 candidates contesting the April 12 general elections. Currently, he ranks near the bottom in opinion polls, which favor former Lima mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga and Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the late former president Alberto Fujimori. Both leading candidates have campaigned on promises to crack down on organized crime.
