American Airlines Plane Struck By Bullet While Landing In Colombia: Investigation

An American Airlines plane was struck by a bullet while landing in Colombia, according to an investigation conducted by local officials.

The flight had departed from Miami and landed on Sunday. The airline said its teams "identified a puncture" to the plane's exterior during a routine inspection once it returned to Miami.

"The aircraft was immediately removed from service for further inspection and repair. We will work closely with all relevant authorities to investigate this incident," American Airlines told ABC News in a statement. The bullet hole did not cause any inconvenient to the plane's ability to fly. It was taken to Dallas-Fort Worth, where the company's headquarters are located.

Violence in Colombia has increased as of late. AFP reported that, ahead of the legislative and presidential elections in May, over 60 political leaders have been killed.

Colombia and the United States have pledged to pursue leaders of armed cocaine-trafficking groups. Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said new cooperation with Washington would be "mainly in intelligence," while ruling out the deployment of U.S. troops on Colombian soil.

"The goal is how we better coordinate intelligence between the United States and Colombia in order to use Colombian force under Colombian norms and international humanitarian law against these criminal groups," Sáncez said, adding that intelligence is key "so there are no grey areas" along the frontier.

The remarks also align with recent analysis by InSight Crime, which reported that the removal of Venezuela's former authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and U.S. military pressure have strained the position of the ELN and dissident FARC factions that long benefited from ties to Venezuelan state actors.