The alleged mastermind behind the shooting of conservative Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay was taken into custody Saturday, nearly a month after the attack, law enforcement authorities said.
Authorities had previously accused Arteaga and other suspects of being near the Bogota park where Uribe was shot in broad daylight on June 7.
Three other people have been arrested for participating in the logistics and execution of the crime.
Charges against Arteaga include attempted aggravated homicide; manufacturing, trafficking and carrying firearms or ammunition; and using minors to commit crimes.
He blamed “violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government” for the shooting.
Almost one month after the shooting of conservative Colombian senator and presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, the alleged mastermind behind the incident was arrested on Saturday, according to law enforcement officials.
Using the aliases “Chipi” or “Costeño,” Elder José Arteaga Hernández was taken into custody in a neighborhood in the northwest of Bogota, the capital, according to National Police Director Maj. General. Reporters were informed by Carlos Fernando Triana.
When Uribe was shot in broad daylight on June 7, authorities had previously accused Arteaga and other suspects of being in the vicinity of the Bogota park. Because they were involved in the planning and carrying out of the crime, three more people have been taken into custody.
Arteaga is charged with attempted aggravated homicide, manufacturing, trafficking, and carrying firearms or ammunition, and utilizing minors to commit crimes. On Friday, Interpol issued a red notice against him.
On Saturday, it wasn’t immediately apparent if Arteaga had a lawyer available to provide a statement. Over the weekend, authorities said, he would appear in court for the first time.
According to Triana, Arteaga “has been involved in a life of crime for more than 20 years, performing hit jobs in all types of crimes in Bogotá,” last month. “.
During a political speech in the park, Uribe was attacked from behind by a minor who allegedly caught him as he ran away. According to CBS News, he was shot once in the knee and twice in the head. At the Santa Fe Clinic in Bogota, he had a “neurosurgical” and a “peripheral vascular procedure” to treat the injuries, and he has since had additional surgeries. He is still receiving critical care.
A woman and a man were the other two injured.
The investigation into the shooting’s motivation is still ongoing. Uribe declared in October that he would seek the presidency of Colombia in 2026. He was one of the most outspoken opponents of President Gustavo Petro from his Senate seat.
In a nation with a sinister past where drug cartels and rebel organizations killed and abducted politicians, the attack has been widely denounced. In 1991, during one of the most violent times in the nation’s history, Uribe’s father, a journalist, was abducted and killed. Not long after the shooting, Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, stated that the U. S. . referred to the attack as “a direct threat to democracy” and “condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination.”. “The shooting was caused by violent leftist rhetoric that came from the highest levels of the Colombian government,” he said.
“Colombian security and democracy have been strengthened over the past few decades, and it cannot afford to return to the dark days of political violence,” Rubio stated. “President Petro must protect Colombian officials and temper his divisive rhetoric. “..”.
