Key suspect arrested in shooting of Colombia senator
Colombia presidential hopeful shot in head at rally
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.
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The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Alleged organiser of shooting of Colombian senator caught by police
The alleged mastermind behind the shooting of a conservative Colombian senator and presidential candidate has been taken into custody, almost a month after the attack, law enforcement authorities have said. Elder José Arteaga Hernández, alias 'Chipi' or 'Costeño', was arrested in the north-western part of the capital, Bogotá, on Saturday, national police director Maj Gen Carlos Fernando Triana told reporters. Authorities had previously accused him and other suspects of being near the Bogotá park where Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot on 7 June. Uribe was giving a political speech in the park when he was attacked from behind and wounded in the head, allegedly by a minor who was captured as he fled. Three other people have been arrested for participating in the logistics and execution of the crime. The motive is still being investigated. Uribe, who in October announced his intention to run in the 2026 presidential election, remains in intensive care and has undergone several surgeries. From his senate seat, he had become one of president Gustavo Petro's most vocal critics. The attack has been widely condemned in a country with a dark past in which drug cartels and insurgent groups murdered and kidnapped politicians. Charges against Arteaga include attempted aggravated homicide; manufacturing, trafficking and carrying firearms or ammunition; and using minors to commit crimes. Interpol issued a red notice against him on Friday. It was not immediately clear if Arteaga had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. Authorities said he would make his first court appearance over the weekend. Triana last month said Arteaga 'has been involved in a life of crime for more than 20 years, performing hit jobs in all types of crimes in Bogotá'.
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- The Guardian
How a Colombian podcast shed light on Bobby Moore and the ‘bracelet of Bogotá'
It remains one of the most notorious and unresolved episodes in World Cup history. Now diplomatic cables have emerged in Colombia shedding fresh light on the diplomatic frenzy caused by the arrest of Bobby Moore, then captain of the reigning champions, England, days before the start of the 1970 tournament in Mexico. The previously unseen documents show how Moore's trip to the Fuego Verde jewellery shop in Bogotá, the Colombian capital, sparked a desperate campaign from the British Foreign Office to free the West Ham centre-back. The enormous pressure exerted on Colombia by the Foreign Office may have swayed the judge's decision in the case, a new podcast series El Capitán y el Brazalete de Esmeraldas (The Captain and the Emerald Bracelet) concluded. The podcast hears from the shop assistant, Clara Padilla, who accused Moore of swiping the £600 emerald bracelet while accompanied by Bobby Charlton and another teammate. Padilla broke her silence for the first time in more than 50 years, shortly before she died of cancer in February, to maintain that Moore had indeed taken the bracelet five decades ago. 'I just wanted people to know that I was never lying, I never accused Bobby Moore falsely,' she told the podcast days before her death. 'I know what I saw.' The allegations that Moore had casually stolen the jewellery on the eve of the World Cup threatened to prevent him from travelling to Mexico, potentially derailing England's chances of defending the trophy and sending the English tabloids into a frenzy. Leading theories included the Brazilian Football Association conspiring to eliminate their toughest potential opponents or that Colombia's murky emerald trade was trying to squeeze money out of Moore. At the time Moore said only: 'I'm not too sure what it's all about. As far as I can make out, there's nothing in it. I can assure you of that.' But Moore's biographer, Jeff Powell, wrote in a later edition of his book that 'perhaps one of the younger lads with the squad did something foolish, a prank with unfortunate circumstances', hinting that Moore had told a different version of events to him. The cables examined by the podcast add weight to the theory that the scandal was a team prank that blew out of control. They also suggest the investigation could have been swayed in Moore's favour by intense diplomatic pressure, with Colombian officials doing whatever they could to bury the investigation. In one telegram at the height of the scandal, the British ambassador, Richard Rogers, told London that officials from Colombia's national intelligence agency had assured him 'no legal action would be taken without consultation with the embassy', adding: 'We also ensured that the magistrate concerned was privately made aware of the awkward implications of the case for Colombia because of the strong interest of British and world public opinion.' The document shows the UK was strongly reminding Colombia that it was set to host the 1986 World Cup and the scandal could tarnish its global image and burn its chances of hosting the tournament. Others suggest their diplomatic reach extended further. In a later telegram, Rogers said the director of Colombia's national intelligence agency, Gen Luis Etilio Leyva, had paid a visit to the judge overseeing the case. With the green light from the president and foreign minister – both under pressure from the UK – Leyva warned Judge Pedro Dorado of the political consequences of jailing Moore. The idea that Padilla had framed Moore quickly became 'the official story', said Camilo Macías, one of the podcast's producers. 'Moore had the full backing of the British and Colombian governments, Colombian police and intelligence agencies, the British and Colombian media, and much of the public opinion on both sides. Against this overwhelming chorus, Clara's voice was buried.' Moore was released three days before the tournament kicked off in the Azteca. Even Harold Wilson, the British prime minister, was abreast of the events, fearing if the government did not get Moore on a plane to Mexico City, Labour could lose the next election. Documents show Foreign Office officials became uncomfortable with the PM's involvement. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion As the face of the supposedly dirty plot to frame Moore, Padilla's photo was splashed across the front page of the Daily Mirror. The 24-year-old was vilified at home, too, where Colombians adored British footballers after several English players, including the Manchester United winger Charlie Mitten, played for the Bogotá side Independiente Santa Fe. Padilla says she was forced to leave for the US, where she had lived ever since, after receiving up to 15 phone calls a day as well as numerous death threats. 'I was a victim for many, many years of being accused of all kinds of horrible things. The worst one was that I was lying, that I was trying to destroy Bobby Moore,' she told the podcast. Close to her death from cancer, Padilla maintained that she told no lie and revealed previously untold details of how Moore snatched the bracelet. 'They came in and two of them sat down to flirt and distract me,' Padilla said, alleging that two of the England pranksters turned on their charm to compliment her English language skills and her good looks. 'Bobby Moore was there in the door where the display cabinet was and I saw him open the cabinet, take the bracelet and put it in his pocket, looking at me the whole time. It was like he was teasing me.' Sir Keith Morris, chargé d'affaires at the time, has insisted the UK did not exert undue pressure on its Colombian counterparts but admitted the case was given special attention given the team were national heroes. 'Would we have done quite as much for any British citizen? No. But there was a national interest involved,' Morris said. 'He [Judge Pedro Dorado] was, I am sure, aware of Colombian public opinion on the subject. He found a solution to fit the case.'
Powys County Times
a day ago
- Powys County Times
Alleged mastermind of shooting attack on Colombian politician arrested
The alleged mastermind behind the shooting of a conservative Colombian senator and presidential candidate was taken into custody, almost a month after the attack, law enforcement authorities said. Elder Jose Arteaga Hernandez, alias 'Chipi' or 'Costeno', was arrested in a neighbourhood in the northwestern part of the capital, Bogota, national police director Major General Carlos Fernando Triana told reporters. Authorities had previously accused him and other suspects of being near the Bogota park where Miguel Uribe Turbay was shot in broad daylight on June 7. Mr Uribe was giving a political speech in the park when he was attacked from behind and wounded in the head, allegedly by a minor who was captured as he fled. Three other people have been arrested for participating in the logistics and execution of the crime. The motive is still being investigated. Mr Uribe, who in October announced his intention to run in the 2026 presidential election, remains in intensive care and has undergone several surgeries. From his Senate seat, he had become one of President Gustavo Petro's most vocal critics. The attack has been widely condemned in a country with a dark past in which drug cartels and insurgent groups murdered and kidnapped politicians. Charges against Arteaga include attempted aggravated homicide; manufacturing, trafficking and carrying firearms or ammunition; and using minors to commit crimes. Interpol issued a red notice against him on Friday. It was not immediately clear Saturday if Arteaga had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf. Authorities said he would make his first court appearance over the weekend. Maj Gen Triana last month said Arteaga 'has been involved in a life of crime for more than 20 years, performing hit jobs in all types of crimes in Bogota'.
