Teen accused of senator assassination enters not guilty plea in Colombian court

Police suspect the 15-year-old accused of attempting to murder Senator Miguel Uribe is a “sicario” or hitman working for monetary gain.

The teenager was formally charged on Tuesday with the attempted murder of the 39-year-old conservative presidential candidate Uribe, who is currently in critical condition in the hospital after being shot in the head on Saturday and is fighting for his life.

The teen – whom police believe is a “hitman” working for money – was also charged with carrying an illicit firearm.

“No family in Colombia should be subjected to this,” Uribe’s wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, stated to reporters outside the hospital where her husband is being treated.

“This is beyond naming – it’s not just pain, not horror, not sadness,” she added.

The senator’s father, Miguel Uribe Londono, expressed gratitude to the “millions of Colombians and people worldwide for their prayers.”

“Miguel, amid the pain and despair that engulf us, has managed to bring this nation together in a unified voice rejecting violence,” his father added.

It remains unclear why Senator Uribe, who was competing for his party’s candidacy, was targeted. At the time of the shooting, he was trailing other party candidates in the polls.

Footage from the shooting scene captured Uribe addressing his supporters in western Bogota when a youth approached and fired at least eight shots. Uribe was hit twice in the head and once in the leg.

The alleged assailant was apprehended by security personnel, and a 9mm Glock pistol was recovered.

In a verified video of the teen’s arrest by Reuters, the suspect was heard shouting that he had been hired by a local drug dealer.

An earlier video showed that as the injured assailant attempted to leave the scene, a voice could be heard shouting, “I did it for the money, for my family.”

However, in court, the teenager denied charges of attempted murder and possession of an illicit firearm, the attorney general’s office announced. If convicted, he could face up to eight years in a rehabilitation center, not a prison, given his status as a minor.

Additionally, on Tuesday, Colombia witnessed bomb and gun attacks in the southwest region, where at least seven people were killed in violence reminiscent of earlier decades when armed fighters, paramilitary groups, and drug traffickers frequently carried out attacks.

The bomb and gun assaults are suspected to be carried out by an armed group that split from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, according to the army and police.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has broadly implicated an international crime syndicate in the attack on Uribe, without providing details or evidence.

Interior Minister Armando Benedetti hinted at a possible link with the assassination attempt, noting that rebels have increasingly resorted to drug trafficking to fund their operations, though he did not supply proof.

President Petro has ordered enhanced security measures for government officials and opposition leaders in response to the attacks.

Uribe had been a strong critic of President Petro’s security strategy, which aims at ending six decades of armed conflict, arguing that the strategy of pausing operations against armed groups—which failed in peace talks—has backfired.

At the time of the shooting, Uribe had two government-provided bodyguards, according to the head of the National Protection Unit.

Uribe’s attorney, Víctor Mosquera, mentioned that his client had repeatedly requested more protection.