Colombian teen sentenced 7 years for assassination of presidential hopeful

A 15-year-old boy has been handed a seven-year sentence in juvenile detention for the fatal shooting of Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay during a campaign rally in Bogotá earlier this year.

Uribe, a 39-year-old conservative senator, was struck by three bullets at a rally on 7 June and, despite multiple surgeries, died on 11 August. The teenager, who was arrested shortly after the incident, was convicted of attempted murder and unlawful possession of firearms.

The assassination has deeply unsettled Colombia, a country still haunted by the political bloodshed of the 1980s and 90s, when presidential hopefuls and national figures were frequent targets of violence.

Police investigations suggest the attack was linked to a dissident faction of the former left-wing FARC rebels. Authorities have also arrested five other suspects, including alleged criminal Élder José Arteaga Hernández, believed to have orchestrated the operation.

According to local reports, when the teenager was taken into custody, he allegedly cried out: “I did it for money for my family.”

Uribe was a rising figure in the right-wing Democratic Centre party, and was campaigning to become its nominee for the 2026 presidential election.

His father, Miguel Uribe Londoño, has since announced his own bid for the presidency, vowing to continue his son’s mission. For the family, this tragedy evokes painful memories: Uribe’s mother, Diana Turbay, a prominent journalist, was kidnapped in 1990 by Los Extraditables — a cartel-linked group led by drug lords. She was killed during a botched rescue attempt five months later.

Uribe often described his late mother as his greatest inspiration, saying her sacrifice motivated him to dedicate his life to public service.