Colombian President Ivan Duque said Friday that a helicopter carrying him and several senior officials came under fire in the southern Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela, in a rare instance of a direct attack on a presidential aircraft, AP reported.

Duque said everyone on board the helicopter was safe, including himself, Defense Minister Diego Molano, Interior Minister Daniel Palacios and the governor of Norte de Santander state, Silvano Serrano. They had just attended an event titled “Peace with Legality, the Sustainable Catatumbo chapter.”

He said the helicopter’s equipment and capabilities “prevented something lethal from happening.” A video released by the presidency showed several bullet holes in the Colombian air force helicopter.

Duque did not provide the time of the attack, or say who he believed carried it out, but several armed groups are known to operate in the area.

The president said the “cowardly” attack would not make him stop fighting drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime.

Cucuta, where the flight was headed, was already on a security alert after a June 14 car bomb attack at a military base that caused 36 injuries to both members of the military and civilians.