Police say Élder Arteaga masterminded the attempt on the life of presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe in June.
Key suspect arrested in shooting of Colombia senator
ReutersColombian police have arrested the alleged mastermind of the assassination attempt against a presidential hopeful during a rally last month.
Miguel Uribe, a conservative senator, was twice shot in the head in the capital, Bogotá, as he was campaigning for his party’s nomination in the 2026 presidential election.
Police arrested a suspected criminal, Élder José Arteaga Hernandez, who they say persuaded a 15-year-old to carry out the attack. Four other people had already been arrested, including the teenager charged with shooting Uribe.
Uribe remains in a critical condition. The motive for the attempt on his life on 7 June is unclear.
Colombian police chief Carlos Fernando Triana said on Friday that Arteaga had a long criminal history and was wanted for “aggravated attempted homicide” and “use of minors for the commission of crimes” over the attack on Uribe.
Police say he co-ordinated the assault, hired the gunman and provided him with a weapon.
Authorities had previously accused Arteaga, who uses the aliases Chipi and Costeño, of being near the Bogotá park where Uribe was shot.
The 15-year-old suspect was arrested as he was fleeing the scene. He subsequently pleaded not guilty, the prosecutor’s office said.
Uribe, a critic of left-wing President Gustavo Petro, announced his candidacy for next year’s presidential election last October. The 39-year-old has been a senator since 2022.
He is from a prominent political family, with links to Colombia’s Liberal Party. His father was a union leader and businessman.
His mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 in a rescue attempt after she was kidnapped by the Medellin drugs cartel.
The 7 June attack prompted silent protests attended by tens of thousands of Colombians.
