Colombian authorities charge 15-year-old with attempted murder of presidential candidate
BOGOTA, Colombia, June 11, (AP): Colombian authorities on Tuesday charged a 15-year-old with attempted murder for the assasination attempt on Miguel Uribe, the conservative presidential candidate who was shot in the head this weekend and is now in critical condition. The Attorney General's office said the teenager shot at Uribe during a rally in Bogota's Modelia neighborhood and was captured fleeing the scene with a gun.
The teenager, whose name has not been released, pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is currently recovering in a hospital from leg wounds. Colombia's Defense Minister said on Tuesday that authorities are still investigating who may have been behind the attack on Uribe, a 39-year-old senator and one of the nation's most visible opposition figures.
Armed groups in Colombia frequently recruit minors for assassinations and other crimes, a practice driven by the lenient penalties they face under Colombian law. The teenager charged with attempted murder on Tuesday faces up to eight years in detention. A judge has ordered his detention at a juvenile center once he leaves hospital.
The attack on Uribe has been widely condemned in Colombia, where many voters are concerned about the country's deteriorating security situation. Uribe, whose maternal grandfather was a Colombian president, is the son of Diana Turbay, a prominent news anchor who was assassinated in 1991 after being kidnapped by the powerful Medellin Cartel.
Colombian opposition parties have asked for greater security guarantees in the wake of the attack, with some also urging President Gustavo Petro to moderate his rhetoric, as the nation prepares for presidential elections next year. While Petro condemned the attack on Uribe, he often refers to opposition leaders in his speeches and social media posts as "Nazis' "oligarchs' and "enemies of the people.'
On Tuesday, Uribe's wife María Claudia Tarazona addressed journalists outside the hospital where the senator is being treated, calling for unity and calm. "I call on every sector, on all the political groups, on armed groups and on every corner of this country to heal,' she said, adding that Uribe "is a warrior who is fighting for his life.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
7 hours ago
- Arab Times
Bruce Springsteen's Berlin concert echoes with history and a stark warning
BERLIN, June 12, (AP): Veteran rock star Bruce Springsteen, a high-profile critic of President Donald Trump, slammed the U.S. administration as "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous' during a concert Wednesday in Berlin. He was addressing tens of thousands of fans at a stadium built for the 1936 Olympic Games that still bears the scars of World War II and contains relics from the country's dark Nazi past. "Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices, stand with us against authoritarianism, and let freedom reign,' he said. Springsteen has made increasingly pointed and contentious public statements in recent concerts. He peppered Wednesday's performance with mentions of the American democracy's system of checks and balances designed to ward against authoritarianism. His short speeches - referencing recent headlines about immigration raids, the freezing of federal funds for universities, and measles outbreaks - came between songs that were also captioned in German on large screens beside the stage. The set was flanked by an American flag on one side and a German flag on the other. Still, the Boss remained hopeful: "The America that I've sung to you about for the past 50 years of my life is real. And regardless of its many faults, it's a great country with great people. And we will survive this moment.' But last month in Manchester, he denounced Trump's politics during a concert, calling him an "unfit president' leading a "rogue government' of people who have "no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American.' Springsteen is no stranger to Berlin. In July 1988, he became one of the first Western musicians to perform in East Germany, performing to a roaring crowd of 160,000 East Germans yearning for American rock 'n' roll and the freedom it represented to the youth living under the crumbling communist regime. "I'm not here for or against any government. I've come to play rock 'n' roll for you in the hope that one day all the barriers will be torn down,' Springsteen said in German at the time, before launching into a cover of Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom.' An Associated Press news story from that period says "fireworks streaked through the sky' and hundreds of people in the audience waved handmade American flags as they sang along to "Born in the USA.' The Berlin Wall fell the following year, and some experts credit the concert for its part in fueling the protest movement that brought the end of the Communist government. Almost four decades later, Springsteen issued a stark warning: "The America that I love, the America that I've sung to you about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration."
Arab Times
8 hours ago
- Arab Times
Gang violence displaced record 1.3 million people in Haiti, UN report finds
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 12, (AP): Gang violence has displaced a record 1.3 million people across Haiti as the local government and international community struggle to contain the spiraling crisis, according to a new report released Wednesday. The UN's International Organization for Migration warned of a 24% increase in displaced people since December, with gunmen now having chased 11% of Haiti's nearly 12 million inhabitants from their home. Much of the gang violence remains centered in Port-au-Prince, but more than 230,000 people alone have been left homeless as gunmen continue to lay siege in the two largest regions north of the capital, officials said. "We need to act urgently. The strength of the Haitian people is humbling, but resilience cannot be their only refuge,' Amy Pope, IOM's director general, said in a statement. The number of makeshift shelters also has skyrocketed by more than 70%, from 142 to 246, with much of the increase reported in Haiti's once peaceful central region. The IOM noted that for the first time, regions outside Port-au-Prince have more shelters than the capital, given the ongoing violence in towns like Mirebalais and Petite Rivière. Overall, more than 80% of those displaced are staying with friends or family, although in Port-au-Prince, the majority of those displaced are staying in crowded and unsanitary makeshift shelters that include abandoned government buildings. "Many now face life without access to health care, schools, and clean water, leaving already vulnerable families struggling to survive,' according to the IOM. Hours after the report was released, officials with the UN, the Inter American Development Bank and Haiti's government and civil society gathered behind closed doors to talk about the situation. "The crisis…is only getting worse,' Bob Rae, president of the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council, said ahead of the meeting. He and other officials said it's not enough to only tackle Haiti's security crisis. Gangs that control at least 85% of Port-au-Prince are recruiting a growing number of children in the deeply impoverished country.
Arab Times
8 hours ago
- Arab Times
Third suspect detained on suspicion of planning an attack in northeastern Poland
WARSAW, Poland, June 12, (AP): Polish security services have detained a 19-year-old man suspected of planning a terrorist attack, marking the third arrest in an ongoing investigation in the northeastern city of Olsztyn, a government official said Thursday. The Internal Security Agency said the suspect, along with two others previously arrested, had gathered extensive materials related to firearms use, combat tactics, and explosive devices. Prosecutors allege the group trained at shooting ranges and conducted paramilitary-style drills. Investigators believe the suspects were influenced by mass killers, including Anders Breivik, Brenton Tarrant, and Timothy McVeigh. The young men reportedly studied those attacks in detail, analyzing the assailants' methods and mistakes, according to the statement. "They were fascinated by their ideology, studied how the attacks were carried out, and analyzed the mistakes that were made. The content they consumed contributed to the development of extremely radical moral attitudes,' the security agency said.
