BOGOTA, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Colombia recaptured Jhon Jairo Velasquez, alias "Popeye," former head assassin for late drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, on Friday on charges of conspiracy to commit extortion.

The arrest happened after Velasquez threatened presidential candidate Gustavo Petro on Twitter and was accused of committing extortion in the city of Medellin.

Velasquez, who spent 23 years in prison for the crimes he committed as part of the Medellin cartel, was denounced by two families of trying to extort them as part of a criminal gang.

Senator Ivan Cepeda also denounced Velasquez this week for six crimes, especially making death threats aimed at Petro and his followers on Twitter.

In posts on the social media network, Velasquez accused Petro's supporters of not allowing him to express himself, threatening to shoot them and to become a "holy warrior" for Colombia.

After Cepeda's denunciation, Colombia's prosecutor-general, Nestor Humberto Martinez, assigned a prosecutor to investigate the case, eventually leading to Popeye's arrest.

Velasquez, nicknamed Popeye for his resemblance to the cartoon character, has remained controversial since being released in 2014. In December 2016, he was filmed brandishing a firearm in the streets of Medellin.