Teen boy, accused in Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe's shooting, pleads ‘not guilty'
A 15-year-old boy, who is accused of trying to assassinate Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe, pled "not guilty" on Tuesday, news agency AFP reported, citing the prosecutor's office.
The teenager was formally charged with the attempted murder of 39-year-old conservative candidate Uribe, who was shot twice in the back of his head on Saturday during a campaign rally in Bogota. Additionally, the teenager was also charged with carrying a firearm.
Meanwhile, Uribe's doctors at the Bogota hospital said that he remained in a critical condition, "fighting for his life".
The alleged gunman was apprehended at the scene by the security guards, who recovered a Glock nine-millimetre pistol from his possession.
Police said they believed that the boy was a "sicario" or a hitman working for money, the AFP report mentioned.
If found guilty, the boy could face eight years in detention as he is a minor.
Giving people an update on Uribe's condition, who is still critical, his wife Maria Claudia Tarazona, said, "No family in Colombia should be going through this," adding that, "There is no name for this - it's not pain, it's not horror, it's not sadness."
Authorities, investigating the assassination attempt, said that they were also probing several other angles to ascertain the motive behind the shooting.
Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has reportedly alleged that an international crime ring is behind the attack on Uribe. However, he did not provide any specific details or evidence of the same.
Miguel Uribe was shot in the El Golfito Park in the Modelia neighbourhood of Bogota's Fontibon district on Saturday during a public gathering.
The right-wing opposition leader and a presidential candidate from the Democratic Centre was meeting with his supporters when he was shot from behind.
Notably, Uribe was a critic of Petro's security strategy aimed at ending six decades of armed conflict in Colombia. The 39-year-old conservative leader had argued that Petro's approach of halting offensives on armed groups despite failed peace talks only backfired.
At the time of the shooting, Uribe had two government-assigned bodyguards protecting him, the head of the National Protection Unit said on Monday. Uribe's lawyer, Victor Mosquera, meanwhile, said that he had repeatedly asked for more security for the leader.
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