Latest news with #asesinato
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Spain charges 8 in Iran-linked assassination attempt on ex-politician Vidal-Quadras
Spain's High Court charged eight individuals on Wednesday with the attempted assassination of former right wing politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras over his ties to an Iranian opposition group and support for dissident groups. Vidal-Quadras, 80, a founder of Spain's far-right Vox party, was shot in the face by a motorbike pillion passenger as he walked through Madrid's upscale Salamanca neighborhood on November 9, 2023. The bullet passed through his jaw. Investigating judge Santiago Pedraz said the assault was ordered by unidentified individuals seeking revenge for Vidal-Quadras' advocacy for resistance to Iran's clerical government. 'Unidentified individuals instructed members of the criminal organization ... to carry out 'a mission' consisting of ending the life of Alejo Vidal-Quadras,' the judge said in a court document seen by Reuters. The suspects, Pedraz said, were part of a coordinated group involved in crimes targeting the lives of individuals, with some members reportedly under investigation in multiple countries. The Dutch intelligence agency said earlier this year it suspected Tehran of being behind two assassination attempts in Europe. The suspected hitman in the Vidal-Quadras case was arrested in Netherlands, where he is also linked to an assassination attempt on an Iranian resident. The eight suspects, charged with membership in a criminal organization and attempted terrorist murder, are alleged to have procured materials such as vehicles, funds and weapons as part of their operation, the judge said. 'I am very happy that the judge has produced this statement because that reflects the reality of the case,' Vidal-Quadras told Reuters on Wednesday. 'Let's hope that now the government will take some action.' Prosecutors and defense lawyers may appeal the charges before the case moves to trial. Iran had included Vidal-Quadras on a sanctions list in October 2022, in retaliation for EU sanctions imposed after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman arrested for allegedly flouting Iran's mandatory dress code.
Al Arabiya
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Colombia arrests man suspected of organizing hit on senator Miguel Uribe
Colombian police probing the attempted assassination of a prominent right-wing presidential candidate arrested on Saturday a man they believe hired the teenager accused of pulling the trigger. Elder Jose Arteaga Hernandez was described by police as a key planner of the June 7 attack on conservative senator Miguel Uribe, who remains hospitalized in serious condition. Arteaga Hernandez organized 'the before of the attack, the during, and the after,' said police chief Carlos Fernando Triana Beltran. Uribe, 39, was shot three times, including twice in the head, during a campaign rally in a park in Bogota. Police have now arrested five suspects, including the 15-year-old alleged hitman. Arteaga Hernandez, who has a long criminal record and a file with Interpol, coordinated the attack, hired the shooter and provided him with a gun, police said. The shooter is believed to belong to a network of contract killers. Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Arteaga Hernandez 'had allegedly negotiated the execution of the crime' for the equivalent of about $250,000. 'He planned the cover, the movements, and even ordered one of his accomplices to be silenced after the incident,' Sanchez posted on X. Uribe's attorney, Victor Mosquera, has said the probe had revealed a 'structured organization' with a 'history of attacks on right-wing leaders.' Uribe, a member of the Democratic Center party, announced his intention last October to run in the May 2026 presidential election.
Arab News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Colombia arrests man suspected of organizing hit on politician
BOGOTA: Colombian police probing the attempted assassination of a prominent right-wing presidential candidate arrested on Saturday a man they believe hired the teenager accused of pulling the trigger. Elder Jose Arteaga Hernandez was described by police as a key planner of the June 7 attack on conservative senator Miguel Uribe, who remains hospitalized in serious condition. Arteaga Hernandez organized 'the before of the attack, the during, and the after,' said police chief Carlos Fernando Triana Beltran. Uribe, 39, was shot three times, including twice in the head, during a campaign rally in a park in Bogota. Police have now arrested five suspects, including the 15-year-old alleged hitman. Arteaga Hernandez, who has a long criminal record and a file with Interpol, coordinated the attack, hired the shooter and provided him with a gun, police said. The shooter is believed to belong to a network of contract killers. Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Arteaga Hernandez 'had allegedly negotiated the execution of the crime' for the equivalent of about $250,000. 'He planned the cover, the movements, and even ordered one of his accomplices to be silenced after the incident,' Sanchez posted on X. Uribe's attorney, Victor Mosquera, has said the probe had revealed a 'structured organization' with a 'history of attacks on right-wing leaders.' Uribe, a member of the Democratic Center party, announced his intention last October to run in the May 2026 presidential election.
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Key suspect arrested in shooting of Colombia senator
Colombian 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 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. 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 say he co-ordinated the assault, hired the gunman and provided him with a had previously accused Arteaga, who uses the aliases Chipi and Costeño, of being near the Bogotá park where Uribe was 15-year-old suspect was arrested as he was fleeing the scene. He subsequently pleaded not guilty, the prosecutor's office 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 is from a prominent political family, with links to Colombia's Liberal Party. His father was a union leader and mother, journalist Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 in a rescue attempt after she was kidnapped by the Medellin drugs 7 June attack prompted silent protests attended by tens of thousands of Colombians.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Teenage assassin sparks more conspiracy theories as he reveals how much he was paid to target Colombian political candidate
The 15-year-old boy under arrest for shooting Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay told investigators that he was hired by a network of assassins. Juan Sebastían Rodríguez Casallas said that he was offered 20 million pesos, around $4,800, to assassinate the 39-year-old senator, City TV reported Wednesday. The troubled teenager also told investigators that he was promised that the money would be transferred after taking out Uribe Turbay, the TV news show Noticias Caracol revealed Wednesday. A video filmed by Venezuelan migrant and English teacher Héctor Montero showed Rodríguez Casallas standing several feet behind the conservative presidential hopeful while addressing a crowd of about 250 supporters at a rally on Saturday when he shot him twice in the head and once in the leg. The Attorney General's Office charged the teenager with attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm during a hearing Tuesday. Rodríguez Casallas, who is hospitalized and recovering from leg wounds, pleaded not guilty to both charges. Uribe Turbay underwent emergency surgery at Santa Fé Foundation hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Noticias Caracol also revealed Wednesday never-before-seen surveillance footage that showed Rodríguez Casallas stepping off the backseat of a motorcycle at 3:22 pm in the Bogotá neighborhood of Modelia, just blocks away from the park where Uribe Turbay would later meet with supporters. The teen shooter removed his helmet and placed a red cap before a man, who was riding the bike, got off and removed his helmet. They had a brief conversation before Rodríguez Casallas placed a call with his cell phone. A security camera caught a silver vehicle parking on the side of a street on Ferrocarril Avenue at 3:41 pm. The boy would be spotted five minutes later walking around a corner and approaching the car. He spoke to the driver for a while and then walked away as he carried out a conversation on his phone as the car pulled away. A separate camera picked up the silver car stationed five blocks away from El Golfito Park, where Uribe Turbay was holding the rally, at 5:20 pm. Two minutes elapsed when Rodríguez Casallas stepped out of the driver's seat of the vehicle. A short while later, a bearded man wearing a white shirt and black sunglasses to conceal his identity got off the rear door while a young woman wearing a black jacket and carrying a black handbag stepped off on the opposite side. Surveillance footage later showed Rodríguez Casallas speed walking down a sidewalk as the man and the woman followed him, but kept their distance. A woman appeared surprised at the pace at which the teenager was walking and stopped to look back as held her pet dog by the leash. Rodríguez Casallas arrived at the park at 5:26 pm and made his way through the crowd shortly before he aimed his weapon and fired at Uribe Turbay. The teen fled the park through a southern exit and ran down a residential block, where he was shot on one of his legs and apprehended at 5:30 pm. 'I did it for money, for my family,' Rodríguez Casallas cried to the arresting officers. 'Sorry, I did it for money, for my family.' Colombian President Gustavo Petro claimed on Monday that Uribe Turbay's security team was 'reduced' before the assassination attempt. 'For my part, I must now report that Senator Uribe's protection detail was strangely reduced on the day of the attack. From 7 to 3 people,' Petro wrote on X. He also bizarrely claimed to be the subject of bounty plot against him. 'I know my head already has a price and is being handed over to dark, neo-Nazi, and non-republican forces, both domestic and foreign,' he wrote in the same post. 'They even went so far as to demand that the Mossad perform an extraction operation. Authorities have not said how Rodríguez Casallas was able to acquire the 9mm Glock that he used in the assassination attempt. National Police director, General Carlos Triana, said during a press conference Monday that the gun was legally acquired by in Mesa, Arizona on August 6, 2020. A law enforcement source told El Tiempo newspaper that Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was able to identify the buyer as Charles Joe Anderson. AJI Sporting Goods owner Jeff Serdy told the Daily Mail on Monday that he had not been contacted by officials from Colombia or the US. He explained that his shop brokered the gun's transfer from a dealer to his store, as buyers cannot purchase directly from a dealer and then have firearms delivered to their homes. Serdy said his shop received a $30 processing fee for the transfer, but did not sell the gun to Anderson. He only picked it up there. 'For the record all state and federal laws were very strictly followed during this transaction,' he said, adding that a background check was conducted. Senator Uribe Turbay is the son of a journalist Diana Turbay, who was kidnapped and killed in 1991 during one of the country's most violent periods. His maternal grandfather, Julio César Turbay, was president of Colombia from 1978 to 1982. Colombia will hold a presidential election on May 31, 2026, the end of the current term of Petro, the first leftist to come to power in Colombia. Uribe Turbay announced his presidential bid in March.
