Colombian authorities accused 15-year-old presidential candidate of attempted murder
Bogota, Colombia (AP) – Colombian authorities accused a 15-year-old man on Tuesday of murder for the assassin of Miguel Uribe, a conservative presidential candidate who was shot this weekend and is now in critical condition.
The attorney general’s office said the teenager fired at Uribe at a rally in the Modelia community in Bogota and was captured with a gun and fled the scene. The teenager, who has not yet been released, pleaded not guilty to the charge. He is currently recovering from a leg wound in the hospital.
The Colombian Defense Secretary said on Tuesday that authorities are still investigating who might be the attack on Uribe, the 39-year-old senator and one of the most obvious opposition figures in the United States.
Armed groups in Colombia often recruit minor assassinations and other crimes, driven by leniency fines faced by Colombian laws. The teenager was charged Tuesday with attempted murder for up to eight years. After a judge left the hospital, the judge had ordered detention at the juvenile center.
The attack on Uribe has been widely condemned in Colombia, with many voters worried about worsening security in the country.
Uribe’s maternal grandfather, former president of Colombia, was the son of Diana Turbay, a famous news host who was assassinated in 1991 after being kidnapped by the mighty Medellin Cartel.
Colombian opposition parties demanded greater security assurances in the wake of the attack, some also urged President Gustavo Petro to demand his remarks as he prepares for the presidential election next year.
When Petro condemned the attack on Uribe, he often referred to opposition leaders as “Nazis”, “oligarchs” and “enemy of the people” in speeches and social media posts.
On Tuesday, Uribe’s wife María Claudia Tarazona addressed reporters outside the hospital where the senators were undergoing treatment, demanding solidarity and calmness.
“I call on every department, in all political groups, armed groups and every corner of this country to call for healing,” she said. She added, “I am a fighter who fights for my life.”
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