Colombian authorities charge 15-year-old with attempted murder of presidential candidate
Colombian authorities charge 15-year-old with attempted murder of presidential candidate
A billboard with an image of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, who was shot and wounded at a political rally, reads in Spanish: “Strength and prayer for your speedy recovery” in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Maria Claudia Tarazona, the wife of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay who was shot at a political rally, talks to the press outside the clinic where he is being treated in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Opposition Senator Miguel Uribe, right, discusses a referendum proposal on labor reform, in Bogota, Colombia, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)
People pray near an altar set up outside the clinic where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after being shot at a political rally, in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
A billboard with an image of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, who was shot and wounded at a political rally, reads in Spanish: “Strength and prayer for your speedy recovery” in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
A billboard with an image of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, who was shot and wounded at a political rally, reads in Spanish: “Strength and prayer for your speedy recovery” in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Maria Claudia Tarazona, the wife of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay who was shot at a political rally, talks to the press outside the clinic where he is being treated in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Maria Claudia Tarazona, the wife of Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay who was shot at a political rally, talks to the press outside the clinic where he is being treated in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Opposition Senator Miguel Uribe, right, discusses a referendum proposal on labor reform, in Bogota, Colombia, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)
Opposition Senator Miguel Uribe, right, discusses a referendum proposal on labor reform, in Bogota, Colombia, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)
People pray near an altar set up outside the clinic where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after being shot at a political rally, in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
People pray near an altar set up outside the clinic where Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after being shot at a political rally, in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian authorities on Tuesday charged a 15-year-old with attempted murder for the assasination attempt on Miguel Uribe, the conservative presidential candidate who was shot in the head this weekend and is now in critical condition.
Updated - Test BSP-2636
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since the 2020 election. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
- Read the latest: Follow AP’s complete coverage of this year’s election.
The Attorney General’s office said the teenager shot at Uribe during a rally in Bogota’s Modelia neighborhood and was captured fleeing the scene with a gun. The teenager, whose name has not been released, pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is currently recovering in a hospital from leg wounds.
Colombia’s Defense Minister said on Tuesday that authorities are still investigating who may have been behind the attack on Uribe, a 39-year-old senator and one of the nation’s most visible opposition figures.
Armed groups in Colombia frequently recruit minors for assassinations and other crimes, a practice driven by the lenient penalties they face under Colombian law. The teenager charged with attempted murder on Tuesday faces up to eight years in detention. A judge has ordered his detention at a juvenile center once he leaves hospital.
The attack on Uribe has been widely condemned in Colombia, where many voters are concerned about the country’s deteriorating security situation.
Uribe, whose maternal grandfather was a Colombian president, is the son of Diana Turbay, a prominent news anchor who was assassinated in 1991 after being kidnapped by the powerful Medellin Cartel.
Colombian opposition parties have asked for greater security guarantees in the wake of the attack, with some also urging President Gustavo Petro to moderate his rhetoric, as the nation prepares for presidential elections next year.
While Petro condemned the attack on Uribe, he often refers to opposition leaders in his speeches and social media posts as “Nazis” “oligarchs” and “enemies of the people.”
On Tuesday, Uribe’s wife María Claudia Tarazona addressed journalists outside the hospital where the senator is being treated, calling for unity and calm.
“I call on every sector, on all the political groups, on armed groups and on every corner of this country to heal,” she said, adding that Uribe “is a warrior who is fighting for his life.”
____
Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america