Alleged mastermind behind shooting of Colombian senator, presidential candidate arrested, authorities say
Elder José Arteaga Hernández, who uses the aliases "Chipi" or "Costeño," was arrested in a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the capital, Bogota, National Police Director Maj. Gen. Carlos Fernando Triana told reporters.
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. Interpol issued a red notice against him on Friday.
It was not immediately clear Saturday 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."
FILE --- Miguel Uribe Turbay attends the strategic dialogue Rethinking Cities for Competitiveness: Smart and Sustainable Cities at the 2019 Concordia Americas Summit in Bogota, Colombia, on May 14, 2019.for Concordia Summit
Uribe was giving a political speech in the park when he was attacked from behind, allegedly by a minor who was captured as he fled. He was shot twice in the head and once in the knee, CBS News reported. He underwent a "neurosurgical" and "peripheral vascular procedure" at the Santa Fe Clinic in Bogota to treat the injuries, and has undergone more surgeries since. He remains in intensive care.
Two other people – a man and a woman – were also injured.
The motive for the shooting is still being investigated. In October, Uribe announced his intention to run in Colombia's 2026 presidential election. 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. Uribe is the son of a journalist who was kidnapped and killed during one of the country's most violent periods, in 1991. Shortly after the shooting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. "condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempted assassination" and called the attack "a direct threat to democracy." He blamed "violent leftist rhetoric coming from the highest levels of the Colombian government" for the shooting.
"Having seen firsthand Colombia's progress over the past few decades to consolidate security and democracy, it can't afford to go back to dark days of political violence," Rubio said. "President Petro needs to dial back the inflammatory rhetoric and protect Colombian officials."
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