[News] Petro accuses Israeli BlackCore of ‘massive’ election rigging

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/technology/petro-accuses-israeli-blackcore-of--massive--election-riggin>
Petro accuses Israeli BlackCore of ‘massive’ election rigging
Al Mayadeen English
July 11, 2026
------------------------------

Petro accuses the Israeli cyber firm BlackCore of deploying a vast bot
network to influence Colombia’s election, as Netanyahu backs the
president-elect.

   - [image: Petro accuses Israeli BlackCore of ‘massive’ digital attack on
   vote]
   <https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2026/7/11/c5c93788-6947-487c-b3ea-fa2e94e723c8.jpeg?width=1000>
   Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during a news conference at the
   Colombian embassy in Washington, Feb 3, 2026. (AP)

Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused Israeli
cyber-intelligence firm BlackCore of orchestrating a sweeping digital
influence operation, revealing that the company deployed a large-scale
disinformation campaign to manipulate public opinion and meddle with the
outcome of Colombia’s recent presidential election
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/petro-vows-peaceful-transfer-of-power-after-colombia-electio>,
*Anadolu Agency* reported.

Petro made the accusation on Friday after challenger Abelardo de la
Espriella, a criminal defense attorney who was openly endorsed by US
President Donald Trump, won the June 21 runoff election by less than 1%
over ruling party candidate Ivan Cepeda.

In a post on the US social media platform X, Petro stressed that BlackCore
used hundreds of thousands of automated accounts to manipulate public
opinion before the vote.

“BlackCore, the Israeli company, deployed 500,000 bots—fake profiles—to
manipulate the Colombian electorate with millions of lies about Ivan and
me,” Petro unmasked.
'Hardest blow to national sovereignty'

Petro described the operation as “the hardest blow to national sovereignty
since the Spanish reconquest” and said he would refuse to recognize “the
legitimacy of the incoming government.” He also called on his supporters to
organize a nationwide mobilization on July 20.

The revelations follow remarks Petro made on the night of the runoff, when
preliminary results showed De la Espriella taking the lead. At the time,
Petro said the National Registry’s vote-counting software had been
“compromised", citing alterations to the IP addresses of several key
government servers
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/2026-colombia-elections-sees-rising-tensions-amid-disputed-r>
.

Colombia’s National Registry and the National Electoral Council (CNE) later
issued a joint statement rejecting the fraud allegations, alleging the
vote-counting software had operated with full transparency and security.
The two bodies denied that any unauthorized changes had been made to
government server IP addresses.

The accusations against BlackCore come after France’s disinformation
watchdog, Viginum, issued a report last month accusing the company of using
hundreds of coordinated proxy accounts to target pro-Palestine figures and
interfere with democratic processes worldwide.
Netanyahu’s praise for Colombia winner adds fuel to Petro’s remarks

Petro’s remarks were further strengthened by the fact that Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly celebrated
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/petro-accuses-us--ecuadorian-far-right-forces-of-election-in>
De la Espriella’s victory and framed the outcome as a step toward
strengthening ties between "Israel" and Colombia.

Netanyahu congratulated the president-elect in a post on X, saying he
looked forward to working with De la Espriella to "deepen bilateral
relations."

“Congratulations to President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella. I look
forward to working with you to strengthen the bond between Israel and
Colombia. Israel’s friends continue to win. Long live the Isaac
Agreements!” Netanyahu stated, amid rising concerns that the election
outcome could open the door to an expanded Israeli political and strategic
presence in Latin America.
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