Colombian Man Targeted In U.S. Strike Has 'Cerebral Trauma' And Is 'Breathing Through a Ventilator'

The Colombian man who survived a recent U.S. strike against an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean has "cerebral trauma" and is currently "sedated and breathing through a ventilator;" according to Interior Minister Armando Benedetti.

Jeison Obando Perez, 34, is currently hospitalized in Bogota, according to local outlets. He is in critical condition, BBC Mundo noted.

Perez is one of two survivors of the strike, which took place on October 16. The other survivor is Ecuadorean, while two other people were killed. It is the first time a U.S. strike in the Caribbean doesn't kill all people targeted. The U.S. released the survivor and sent them to their countries of origin to be "detained and tried," according to President Donald Trump.

Benedetti told press that Obando Perez will be "tried because he is an alleged criminal who was trafficking drugs." "What is known is that he was on a boat full of cocaine. That is a crime in our country, and even though it took place in international waters his repatriation is as someone indicted in the U.S." Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he is "glad he is alive and will be tried in accordance with the law."

Petro has been slamming Trump for his administration's campaign in the Caribbean, recently recalling its ambassador to the country as tensions between the countries escalate.

Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio Mapy said Daniel Garcia-Peña is already in Bogota, and Petro will inform about "decisions made about it" shortly.

Trump said on Sunday that his administration will impose tariffs on Colombian exports and cut financial assistance to the country.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his return to Washington from Mar-a-Lago, Trump accused Colombia of failing to combat drug production, calling the country "a drug manufacturing machine" and asserting that it "has the worst president they've ever had." "He's a lunatic."

Earlier, Trump labeled Petro "a drug-trafficking leader" who encourages mass coca cultivation and "does nothing to stop it despite large-scale U.S. payments and subsidies." He said those transfers would end immediately, writing, "As of today, these payments, or any other form of payment or subsidy, will no longer be made to Colombia."

Petro responded on social media, rejecting Trump's accusations and defending his government's anti-narcotics policies. "Trying to promote peace in Colombia is not being a drug trafficker," he wrote, calling Trump "rude and ignorant toward Colombia" and asserting that he is "the main enemy of drugs" in his country.

Petro also claimed on Monday that the country's decades-long civil wars are a result of "cocaine consumption in the U.S.